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7~        III    II    .X  •  1  1 

Irresistible 


FRKI)  M. 

1 1<  ><  >K •-. i ; i .1 .1 : u 
iiioi)  Ti:i.i-x;itAi»u   AVI:. 

OAKLAND.  C'AI.. 


Grace   Feld. 


(frontispiece) 


Th 


e 


Irresistible    Current 


By 


MRS.       I.       LOWENBERG 


BROADWAY    PUBLISHING    CO. 
835  BROADWAY,          NEW  YORK 


Copyright,  1908. 

BY 

MRS.   I.    LOWENBERG 


All  rights  reserved. 


The  Irresistible  Current 


CHAPTER  I. 

Situated  in  the  suburbs  of  Wiesbaden,  Ger 
many,  was  a  little  cottage  in  a  small  street  near 
the  Grand  Avenue.  It  would  have  been  rude 
looking  had  it  not  been  for  the  pink  and  white 
roses  climbing  luxuriantly  over  it.  Decked  thus 
by  nature,  it  contrasted  not  unpleasingly  with 
the  stately  palaces  bordering  the  grand  and  beau 
tiful  Wilhelmstrasse.  This  cottage  was  the  hum 
ble  home  of  a  young  girl  of  some  seventeen  sum 
mers,  whose  black  eyes,  dark  complexion  and 
other  characteristics  proclaimed  her  to  be  one  of 
Judea's  daughters.  She  held  a  letter  with  an 
American  stamp,  which  she  had  just  received 
from  the  postman. 

"See,  mother,"  said  the  girl,  joyfully,  to  an 
aged  woman  who  was  sitting  on  a  low  stool,  "I 
know  it  is  a  letter  from  brother  Joseph.  Dear, 
Joseph,"  and  she  kissed  the  letter  rapturously. 
"What  would  we  do  without  him?" 

"Come,  Ruth,  open  the  letter  quickly,"  said 
the  old  lady,  who  might  have  been  good  looking 
in  her  young  days.  "It  takes  you  an  age,"  and 
she  looked  wistfully  at  her  son's  letter.  "Is  there 
nothing  written  in  Hebrew  for  me?"  * 


2136720 


2  THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT 

"No,  mother/'  she  answered  as  she  opened  the 
letter,  took  from  it  a  small  folded  paper  and 
glanced  hastily  over  it,  "Joseph  does  better  than 
writing  Hebrew  letters ;  he  sends  us  a  check  again 
for  one  hundred  thalers !" 

"My  dear  son!  my  good  boy!  I  am  afraid  I 
shall  never  see  him  again,  never  lay  my  head  on 
his  bosom  and  cry  out  the  joy  of  my  old  heart." 

"Yes,  you  can,  mother,  if  you  will  listen  to 
what  he  writes" : 
"Dear  Parents: 

"Why  will  you  not  make  up  your  minds  to 
come  to  America  where  labor  is  King?" — he  had 
caught  up  the  cry  of  his  comrades — "and  in  this 
year  19 —  every  one  has  yet  a  chance  to  be  rich. 
Not  that  you  shall  work ;  my  strong  arm  can  and 
will  do  that. 

"You,  father,  shall  smoke  your  pipe,  and, 
mother,  you  shall  knit  stockings.  Don't  be  afraid 
about  keeping  the  good,  old  orthodox  faith,  for 
you  can  keep  it  here  very  well,  and  you  know  if 
you  drop  a  thing  or  two  death  won't  come  from 
it.  It  is  better  here  for  Ruth,  too.  She  must 
have  her  dower  at  home  you  know,  and  there  is 
no  need  of  that  here.  Her  dear,  little  self  is  all 
that  will  be  wanted.  As  your  other  children  are 
dead  I  should  think  you  would  want  to  be  united 
with  us,  the  remaining  two. 

"To  see  your  dear,  loving  faces  is  all  that  I 
want  to  make  me  completely  happy.  I  send  you 
one  hundred  thalers;  I  wish  I  could  make  it  a 
thousand.  From 

"Your  loving  son, 

"JOSEPH  RHEINBERG." 


THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT  3 

"Mother,  I  think  Joseph  has  a  good  deal  of 
happiness  on  the  other  side  of  the  sea,  even  if 
people  are  not  so  religious  there.  I  wish  we  could 
go  to  New  York." 

"I  know  you  are  not  satisfied  here,  but  your 
father  says  that  most  of  the  Jews  in  America  do 
not  live  up  to  their  religion,  that  they  give  up 
Kosher,  go  to  Synagogue  only  on  the  New  Year 
and  the  day  of  Atonement  and  think  these  few 
days  of  prayer  enough  to  give  God.  Their  days 
and  years  are  spent  in  dreaming  of  gold;  they 
think  not  of  the  God  of  Israel,  and  when 'they 
are  rich" — here  Mrs.  Rheinberg  heaved  a  sigh 
and  looked  around  fearfully  as  if  Satan  might 
creep  in  if  she  gave  expression  to  her  thoughts — 
"they  forget  the  Almighty  altogether  and  say 
boldly,  'there  is  no  God.'  It's  not  right,  but  your 
father,  though  he  has  no  other  book  learning,  has 
studied  Talmud  and  Midrash  and  says  it  is  bet 
ter  to  be  dead  and  forgotten  than  think  that 
way."  . 

"Do  you  think,  mother,  that  Joseph  believes  as 
father  does?"  asked  Ruth,  opening  her  eyes  wide, 
knowing  how  her  opinions,  though  she  never  gave 
them  utterance,  conflicted  with  her  mother's. 

"I  am  afraid  not  exactly.  When  your  father 
grows  uneasy  I  comfort  him  with  the  hope  that 
our  boy  is  better  than  other  boys,  but  this  letter 
speaks  volumes.  I  am  afraid  he  is  forgetting  the 
lessons  of  home,"  and  the  old  lady  groaned  in 
the  anguish  of  her  heart. 

"We  had  better  go  to  him  and  keep  him  from 
the  wrong  road,"  artfully  replied  Ruth. 

"No,  no,  your  father  will  not  hear  of  it,  and, 


4  THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT 

child,  I  am  afraid  I  shall  soon  be  moved  some 
where  else.  I  feel  queer.  My  head  aches,  my 
limbs  ache,  everything  aches." 

"Nonsense,  mother,  don't  give  way  to  fancies. 
You  do  too  much,  always  saving  me;  then  this 
letter  and  the  talk  about  Joseph  and  America 
have  worked  on  your  feelings.  Come  now,  lie 
down,  take  it  easy,  play  lady  for  the  rest  of  the 
day." 

It  is  needless  to  say  the  mother  willingly 
obeyed  the  daughter's  cheery  counsel.  The  old 
folks  had  been  born,  bred  and  hoped  to  die  in  the 
old  place.  They  had  a  perfect  horror  of  "a  new 
country."  To  them  with  their  years  upon  them, 
nothing  new  could  be  commendable.  Everything 
which  came  from  their  forefathers  and  had  the 
mold  of  antiquity  about  it  was  wise,  beneficial  and 
good.  Innovations  in  religion  were  devices  of 
Beelzebub.  A  new  mode  of  traveling  dangerous 
and  a  change  of  residence  very  unlucky. 

New  departures  are  not  necessarily  good, 
neither  can  they  always  be  termed  unreasonable; 
for  innovators  in  most  instances  have  based  their 
fundamental  changes  on  judgment  and  frequently 
benefited  mankind.  Moses,  Socrates,  Mohammed 
and  Luther  were  innovators  and  reformers,  and 
the  world  has  had  more  light  through  their  ad 
vent.  Aristotle  and  Bacon,  adopting  new  reason 
ings  in  philosophy  and  evolving  new  systems,  did 
much  for  the  enlightenment  of  the  world.  James 
Hargreaves,  the  inventor  of  the  spinning-jenny, 
who  certainly  promoted  th-e  interests  of  man,  was 
driven  from  his  home  by  the  other  spinners,  who 
thought  his  new  contrivance  would  deprive  them 


THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT  5 

of  work.  Innovation  means  advance.  Progress 
does  not  necessarily  imply  Positivism,  Evolution 
ism,  Absolutism  or  other  sectional  isms.  We 
may,  like  Auguste  Comte,  worship  humanity  and 
yet  believe  in  God.  We  may  accept  one  part  of 
a  belief  and  yet  reject  that  which  makes  the  Deity 
a  "Metaphysical  hypothesis."  Some  minds  can 
not  agree  with  Herbert  Spencer  and  Darwin, 
neither  can  they  accept  the  Buddhistical  Nirvana 
nor  individual  absorption  after  death,  still  they 
may  cull  some  truths,  which  fall  from  speculative 
psychologists. 

"Dear  father,  come  in  on  tiptoe ;  mother  is  rest 
ing.  I  went  into  the  room  just  now  and  she  cried 
out  in  her  sleep,  'Oh,  what  lovely  white  roses !' 
but  don't  look  frightened,  I  know  it  is  only  a  cold. 
See  what  I  have  here  for  you,  a  letter  and  a 
check,"  and  Ruth  held  them  before  Mr.  Rhein- 
berg's  eyes. 

"Ha !"  returned  the  old  man,  as  he  walked  with 
an  effort  to  suppress  the  creaking  of  his  boots, 
which  he  thought  never  before  produced  such 
grating  sounds,  "from  Joseph?  Let  me  see;  in 
German.  What  does  he  say?  Is  he  going  to 
bless  us  with  joy  and  come  home?  I  see  by  your 
holding  your  head  down  that  he  has  not  written 
that.  He  sends  money.  Does  he  think  everything 
can  be  plastered  with  thalers?" 

"Father,  for  heaven's  sake  don't  be  angry  with 
Joseph.  He  begs  that  all  of  us  shall  come  to  him. 
He  can't  leave  his  work  and  come  to  see  you.  He 
has  not  enough  money  for  that.  Be  reasonable; 
let  us  go  tq  him." 


6  THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT 

"Yes,"  spoke  the  old  man  hastily,  "go  to  Ameri 
ca  and  eat  pork  and  oysters.  Let  Joseph  come 
home,  he  has  enough,  and  Rachel,  our  neighbor 
Isaac's  daughter,  thinks  from  his  picture  that  he 
must  be  a  handsome  man.  Let  me  tell  you  she 
has  a  nice,  little  sum  for  her  dower.  He  can  take 
her  for  his  wife  and  that  will  pay  his  expenses 
back,  you  see.  Write  him  that,  Ruth;  yes, 
honey,"  and  his  voice  softened  and  he  broke  out 
into  a  gleeful  laugh,  "you  write  him  that.  That 
is  the  way  to  bring  my  curly  headed  boy  back. 
Come  now  and  let  us  go  into  the  other  room  and 
see  your  mother." 

"Mother's  eyes  are  closed,  father,  but  her  face 
is  very  red  and  very  hot ;  her  breath  comes  thick 
and  fast.  What  does  this  mean  ?" 

"It  means,"  replied  the  old  man,  feeling  his 
wife's  pulse,  "that  mother  is  sick.  Quick,  child, 
it  is  not  yet  dark,  run  for  the  doctor." 

The  evening  was  a  pleasant  one  in  June  and 
the  streets  were  crowded  with  pleasure  seekers  of 
every  class.  The  invalids  who  came  from  afar 
to  test  the  efficacy  of  the  mineral  waters,  pre 
ferred  the  secluded  walks.  Ruth  flew  past  them 
all,  past  the  Kursaal,  where  the  loud  voices,  the 
merry  shouts  of  laughter  and  even  the  soft  strains 
of  the  music,  which  floated  from  the  garden, 
sounded  harshly  on  her  ear.  With  a  few  short 
bounds  she  was  up  the  steps  to  the  doctor's  office. 
The  door  opened  at  her  touch. 

"Why,  Fraulein,"  said  the  good,  old  physician, 
who  had  known  her  from  infancy,  "what  is  the 
trouble?" 

"My  mother !"  cried  the  panting  girl. 


THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT  7 

"Is  ill?"  continued  the  doctor.  "Return  home, 
my  child,  I  shall  soon  follow." 

"You  will  please  be  quick,  Herr  Doctor." 

"Yes,  yes,"  with  a  benign,  fatherly  pat  of  the 
hand. 

Ruth  retraced  her  steps  with  the  same  rapidity 
that  she  had  come.  "Well,  well,  how  is  she?"  she 
eagerly  inquired  of  her  father. 

"She  is  very  sick,  I  think;  talking  all  the  time." 

"Did  she  say  anything  more  of  white  flowers?" 

"No,  no,  she  called  Joseph  and  begged  him 
never  to  leave  her.  I  don't  understand  it.  So 
sick;  but  she  has  been  ailing  a  long  time." 

"Oh,  father!"  said  the  grief-stricken  girl, 
bursting  into  a  flood  of  tears,  "I  dreamt  last  night 
of  a  bride  decked  with  flowers." 

"Well,  what  of  that?  Have  you  got  your  head 
filled  with  such  silly  trash  ?  God  is  good ;  she  will 
soon  be  better." 

The  doctor  soon  arrived  and  Ruth  could 
scarcely  wait  to  hear  the  result  of  the  diagnosis. 

"My  child,"  said  good  Dr.  Miiller  gravely, 
"your  mother  is  very  ill.  No,  no,  hysterics  will 
not  answer,"  as  Ruth  lost  her  self-control.  "She 
requires  good  and  careful  nursing,  and  excite 
ment  of  any  kind  will  be  very  injurious  to  her. 
Much  depends  on  your  skill  and  judgment,  my 
little  woman ;  so  no  more  tears." 

"No,  Herr  Doctor,  I  will  swallow  my  tears," 
replied  she  with  difficulty  repressing  a  sob,  "only 
tell  me  what  to  do." 

"Yes,  yes,  now  listen ;  I  will  give  you  minute 
directions  and  I  shall  call  again  in  the  morning." 
After  instructing  her  the  physician  started  to  go. 


8  THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT 

"You  stay  with  mother,  Ruth,  I  will  see  the 
doctor  to  the  door."  No  sooner  was  the  door 
closed  than  the  old  man  asked  in  frightened  tones, 
"What  is  it?" 

"It  is  typhoid  fever.  I  am  grieved  to  say  that 
it  appears  to  be  a  severe  attack,  and  as  she  is  no 
longer  young,  one  cannot  tell  the  result.  Good 
night."" 

The  blunt  words  of  the  doctor  staggered  him 
and  he  went  in  with  a  heavy  heart.  "Oh,  father, 
what  shall  we  do?"  mutely  appealed  the  eyes  of 
Ruth,  and  he,  interpreting  them,  said  gently, 
"Watch  and  wait." 

A  week  passed  slowly  away  and  each  day  the 
poor  woman's  fever  increased. 

"Father,  you  must  take  something  with  your 
coffee.  You  have  eaten  very  little  since  mother 
has  been  sick.  You  will  be  sick,  too,  and  what 
will  be  left  me  then?" 

"You  forget  your  brother  Joseph,"  returned  he 
huskily. 

"He  cannot  be  a  father,  though  he  has  been  a 
good  brother." 

"True,  true.    Is  your  mother  alone?" 

"What  a  question,  father,"  answered  she,  re 
proachfully,  "would  I  leave  her  alone?  You 
know  some  of  our  people  are  ever  at  hand  when 
sickness  and  trouble  come."  The  father  made  no 
reply.  "Now,  while  you  eat  I  shall  run  to  the 
apothecary  and  get  the  medicine.  I  shall  not  be 
gone  long.  Take  your  time,  the  Widow  Cohen 
is  a  good  nurse." 

Ruth  was  absent  longer  than  she  calculated. 


THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT  9 

The  prescription  took  some  time  to  prepare.  All 
perspiring,  she  ran  in.  "Father,  I  stayed  very 
long;  I  could  not  help  it." 

Here  two  or  three  women  came  out.  "Ruth, 
you  must  not  go  in  yet." 

"I  will,"  cried  she,  seized  with  a  sudden  terror, 
and  she  pushed  them  aside  and  rushed  to  her 
mother's  bed.  "Mother,  mother!"  she  shrieked 
in  absolute  agony,  as  she  threw  herself  over  her 
cold  and  stiffened  form.  Mrs.  Rheinberg  had 
quietly  and  unconsciously  passed  away. 

"Come,  come,  Ruth,  you  must  come  away. 
Your  father  will  break  down  if  you  carry  on  so," 
and  an  intimate  friend  kindly  forced  her  out,  say 
ing,  "Come,  come,  child,  you  know  'The  Lord 
gave  and  the  Lord  hath  taken  away;  blessed  be 
the  name  of  the  Lord.'  See  how  quiet  your  poor 
father  is.  Here,  sit  down,  cry,  have  a  good  cry, 
dear,  it  will  do  you  good." 

Though  Mr.  Rheinberg's  grief  was  "quiet,"  it 
was  deep  and  concentrated,  and  in  losing  his  wife 
he  felt  that  the  ties  binding  him  to  life  had  been 
snapped  asunder. 

"Here,  Ruth,  let  me  pin  this  black  veil  on  for 
you,"  said  her  friend  Rachel,  at  the  same  time 
kissing  her  affectionately,  as  the  hearse  arrived. 

"So  soon  to  bury  poor  mother,"  moaned  Ruth. 

"She  has  been  dead  two  days,  and  you  forget 
this  hot  weather,  too.  What  difference  does  a  day 
make  ?  The  ground  must  cover  her  all  the  same. 
Bear  up,  Ruth,  for  your  poor  father's  sake;  he 
looks  miserable,  and  oh,  so  pale." 


io  THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT 

"Poor  father,  I  have  been  so  selfish,  thinking 
only  of  myself." 

"You  had  better  think  of  him  now,"  adroitly 
resumed  her  companion.  "Go,  take  your  father's 
arm;  he  is  waiting  for  you." 

At  the  cemetery,  when  the  rabbi  said,  "Dust 
unto  dust,"  and  the  old  man  threw  the  first  clod 
of  earth  upon  the  coffin,  he  fell  back  insensible 
and  was  taken  home  in  a  dying  condition;  his 
heart  refused  to  work;  the  right  ventricle  had 
been  long  affected  unknown  even  to  himself.  This 
earthly  separation  had  harrowed  his  soul,  wrung 
his  heart  and  checked  the  warm  current  of  life. 
After  lingering  a  few  days  his  soul  passed  to  the 
spirit  land,  to  rejoin,  let  us  hope,  with  the  one 
he  loved  so  well. 

"Rachel,"  groaned  Ruth,  "I  am  an  orphan,  no 
father,  no  mother ;  it  is  dark,  black."  It  appeared 
to  her  that  the  sun  was  taken  out  of  the  firmanent 
and  that  the  world  was  clothed  in  endless  night. 

"Dark,  but  not  black,"  returned  Rachel,  softly; 
"you  have  your  brother  Joseph." 


THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT  u 


CHAPTER  II. 

Two  months  had  passed  since  the  death  of 
Ruth's  parents.  Again  the  postman  brought  her 
a  letter  to  the  neighbor's  house,  where  she  was 
temporarily  residing.  The  clouds  of  grief  were 
already  drifting  away  and  would  soon  leave  the 
horizon  of  her  life's  morning,  serene  and  happy 
again. 

"Rachel,  here  is  a  check  for  me  and  I  am  going 
to  leave  as  soon  as  I  can  find  some  one  to  accom 
pany  me.  Joseph  could  not  send  the  money  be 
fore.  Darling  brother." 

"You  talk  as  if  you  were  glad  to  go,"  returned 
her  companion  with  a  frown.  "If  your  brother 
is  so  particular  about  you,  why  doesn't  he  come 
for  you  himself?" 

"I  think  brother  cannot  afford  it,"  responded 
Ruth.  "Never  mind,  I  shall  soon  return  and  with 
him,  too.  Our  parents'  graves  are  here.  It  is  a 
holy  duty  for  him  to  visit  them." 

Her  friend  perceiving  the  wisdom  of  Ruth's  re 
marks,  recovered  her  good  humor  and  told  her  of 
a  neighboring  family  going  to  America,  under 
whose  protection  she  could  travel. 

The  day  before  Ruth  started  for  America  she 
and  Rachel  planted  slips  of  flowers  around  the 
graves  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Rheinberg.  When 


12  THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT  . 

through  with  her  filial  task,  Ruth  commenced  to 
weep  bitterly. 

"Oh,  oh,  do  stop,"  broke  in  Rachel,  "do  you 
want  to  water  the  flowers  with  your  tears  ?  Don't 
grieve,  I  will  mind  them  while  you  are  gone,  and 
when  you  and  Joseph  come  back  they  will  all  be 
in  blossom." 

"You  are  too  good,"  she  returned,  pressing  her 
hand  tenderly.  "I  shall  send  the  first  money  I 
earn  to  your  father  to  have  marble  tombstones 
put  over  their  graves;  marble  ones,  mind,  with 
beautiful  golden  letters  on  them.  Your  father 
will  do  it,  will  he  not?" 

"Why  shouldn't  he,  if  you  send  the  money? 
You  start  in  the  morning?" 

"Yes ;  let  me  have  another  look  before  I  leave." 
Tears  streamed  from  her  eyes  as  she  turned  from 
the  ground  that  her  feet  were  never  to  tread 
again. 

In  the  morning  many  good  and  sympathizing 
friends  accompanied  her  to  the  railroad  station, 
but  Rachel  and  her  mother  did  not  leave  her  until 
they  saw  her  off  on  the  steamer  "Algeria"  bound 
for  America,  the  land  for  which  she  had  so  long 
pined,  and  whose  landscapes,  faintly  outlined  by 
her  brother,  were  long  photographed  in  her  mind. 

"Good-bye,  dear  Rachel,  I  shall  never  forget 
your  kindness.  You  have  been  like,  what  I  wish 
you  were  actually,  a  sister  to  me,  and  your  par 
ents  like  relatives.  I  shall  remember  you  to 
Joseph." 

"Good-bye;  I  wish  I  were  going  with  you," 
and  Rachel  kissed  Ruth  to  conceal  the  vivid 
blushes  her  brother's  name  had  called  up. 


THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT  13 

"Come,"  cried  her  mother,  "you  must  not  stay 
a  minute  longer.  Come,  child,  I  do  believe  the 
steamer  is  starting,"  and  she  grasped  her  daugh 
ter  hurriedly  by  the  arm  and  led  her  ashore. 

"This  is  nice;  this  is  grand,"  exclaimed  Ruth 
to  Mrs.  Gottlieb,  her  compagnon  de  voyage,  who 
was  confined  to  her  berth. 

"Oh,  yes,  very,  ugh,  ugh.  What  makes  you 
speak  to  me,  you  unfeeling  girl?  Ugh,  ugh." 

Ruth  drew  back  in  alarm. 

"Never  mind  her  now,"  laughed  her  husband, 
"she  is  feeling  a  little  squeamish.  You  will  not 
be  sick,  I  think ;  very  good,  you  can  help  me  with 
the  little  ones." 

Some  persons  find  nothing  monotonous  in  a 
sea  voyage.  The  wide  expanse  of  water,  bounded 
by  the  horizon  and  canopied  by  the  sky,  upon 
which  they  look  from  the  tiny  speck  that  bravely 
skims  its  surface,  seems  to  them  a  new  testimony 
of  God's  creative  power.  They  are  ever  in  sym 
pathy  with  the  ocean  whatever  may  be  its  mood, 
awed  and  fascinated  by  the  exhibition  of  its 
power  or  lulled  and  stimulated  by  its  repose. 

"Mrs.  Gottlieb,  may  I  speak  to  you  now?" 

"Yes,  Ruth ;  after  being  at  sea  seven  days  with 
the  harbor  in  sight,  one  gets  used  to  it;  I  can 
stand  it  now." 

"It  is  almost  time,"  smilingly  answered  she. 
"Do  you  see  that  quiet  young  lady  with  the  black 
dress  ?  I  think  she  must  have  lost  her  mother ; 
that  old  man  seems  to  be  her  father.  That  other 
young  girl  with  her  gay  dress,  dancing  up  and 
down,  expects,  seemingly,  to  meet  her  lover." 


14  THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT 

"Why,  what  a  girl !    Did  you  speak  to  them  ?" 

"How  could  I  ?    They  don't  speak  German." 

Miss  Ruth  was  possessed  of  a  fanciful  mind 
and  had  woven  pretty  little  histories  about  all  the 
passengers. 

"Quick  girl,  that  Ruth,"  observed  Mrs.  Gott 
lieb  to  her  husband. 

At  length  the  steamer  reached  port.  "I  won 
der  if  you'll  know  your  brother?"  Mrs.  Gottlieb 
asked. 

"I  think  I  shall ;  I  have  kissed  and  scanned  his 
photograph  often  enough  to  know." 

"The  kissing  is  the  very  thing  to  find  your 
brother  with,  to  be  sure.  Dat  ish  goot,"  said  Mr. 
Gottlieb. 

"How  did  you  learn  so  much  English?"  asked 
his  wife. 

"I  picked  it  up  on  the  steamer." 

"How  clever  your  husband  is,"  said  Ruth  to 
Mrs.  Gottlieb. 

"Wonderful  clever,"  she  answered. 

"Sister!  Brother!"  were  the  exclamations  of 
Joseph  and  Ruth  at  the  mutual  recognition. 
Then  came  thanks  and  farewells  to  her  kind 
friends  with  the  parting  injunction,  "Come  to  see 
me  soon,"  answered  by  "Yes,  I  shall,"  and  Ruth 
was  placed  in  a  cab  by  her  brother. 

"This  is  grand,"  exclaimed  Ruth.  "Have  you 
been  lucky  since  you  sent  me  the  check  ?" 

"Yes,  reasonably  so,  but  I  was  luckier  before 
that.  I  found  one  day  a  big  lump  of  gold,  but  I 
never  wrote  to  you  about  it." 

"That  was  wrong.  You  know  how  happy  our 
dear  parents  would  have  been,"  and  a  tear 


THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT  15 

dropped  from  her  eye.     "Mother  dreamt  in  her 
sickness  that  you  were  with  her." 

"Poor  mother  and  father !  I  expected,  I  hoped, 
I  prayed  to  see  them  once  more  before  they  died, 
but  could  not.  You  see,  Ruth,  the  lump  of  gold 
I  found  was  a  good  American-born  girl."  His 
sister  gave  a  violent  start.  "I  wanted  to  go  home 
before  I  married,  knowing  full  well  that  after 
that  I  could  not,  but  a  brother,  her  only  support, 
died,  and  what  could  I  do  to  quiet  her  grief  but 
to  marry  her?  I  prayed  God  that  the  dear  ones 
might  not  die  until  I  could  see  them,  but  he  willed 
otherwise.  I  had  not  the  courage  to  write  home 
that  I  was  married,  feeling  what  a  blow  it  would 
be  for  them.  But  here  we  are  at  home." 

"Poor  Rachel !"  murmured  Ruth.  She  stepped 
out  of  the  cab  into  a  small,  but  respectable-look 
ing  street  and  was  conducted  by  her  brother  into 
a  cleanly  tenement  house,  where  they  were  met 
by  a  comely  little  woman,  whom  Joseph  greeted 
with  a  rapturous  kiss,  saying: 

"Clara,  my  dear,  here  is  my  sister  Ruth,"  and 
after  a  transient  glance  at  each  other,  they  fell 
to  kissing  as  women  do,  flinging  to  the  winds  the 
sweetest  nothings  with  the  greatest  prodigality. 

"Come,"  said  Joseph,  playfully,  "don't  waste 
your  kisses  on  each  other.  Look  round,  Ruth, 
and  see  how  neat,  though  plain,  everything  is ; 
this  will  tell  you  what  a  first-class  housekeeper  is 
your  sister-in-law." 

"Don't  praise  me  so  loudly,  my  dear,"  mod 
estly  returned  his  wife.     "Come,  Ruth,  into  your 
room ;  have  a  good  wash  and  something  to  eat." 
When  she  had  so  refreshed  herself  and  come 


i6  THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT 

out,  her  brother  said :  "Now,  sister,  and  you,  too, 
Clara,  sit  down.  Tell  me,  Ruth,  all  about  our 
parents,  how  they  lived  and  how  they  died  and 
where  they  are  buried.  I  wish  I  could  have  seen 
them." 

"Are  you  sorry  you  married  me  ?  Have  I  been 
in  your  way?" 

"You,  a  wife,  stand  in  a  husband's  way.  Oh, 
Clara !" 

She  hung  her  head,  took  his  hand  and  inter 
rupted  them  no  more. 

The  death-bed  scenes  of  the  parents  were  mi 
nutely  given,  and  many  other  subjects  of  minor 
importance  proved  to  brother  and  sister  interest 
ing  themes  of  conversation. 

And  Ruth  was  at  last  in  the  great  metropolis 
of  the  western  continent,  yea,  in  the  Canaan 
flowing  with  milk  and  honey.  How  tenaciously 
we  cling — often  even  the  wisest  of  us — to  the 
mere  fancies  of  the  brain !  Happy  they  who  flee 
early  from  phantoms  and,  like  nature  herself, 
nestle  in  realities  which,  if  not  always  agreeable, 
will  always  respond  to  our  senses  and  never  de 
sert  us ! 

"Brother,  you  must  find  me  some  work,  I  can 
make  buttonholes  nicely." 

"By  machine?  If  so,  a  dollar  a  day."  And  to 
Ruth,  just  from  Europe,  the  remuneration  seemed 
munificent. 

"I  tell  you,  Ruth" — this  was  some  few  days 
after  the  conversation  about  work — "you  can  do 
better  than  going  out  by  the  day,  and  it  is  nicer, 
too.  Work  at  home ;  I  can  bring  you  plenty  and 


THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT  17 

you  can  buy  a  machine  on  the  installment  plan," 
to  which  Ruth  gladly  assented. 

The  next  day  found  Ruth  happy  at  work;  the 
sun  commenced  to  shine  very  brightly  for  her  in 
the  new  world. 

Time  sped  on  and  in  due  course  introduced  a 
little  girl  to  the  household,  who  was  called  Letitia, 
at  the  request  of  the  mother.  She  did  not  know 
its  meaning,  but  had  read  a  book  in  which  "Le 
titia"  was  the  heroine,  and  as  she  thought  it 
sounded  well,  too,  bestowed  it  with  the  father's 
approval  upon  her  little  daughter. 

The  little  girl  as  she  grew  showed  herself  a 
loving  little  thing,  making  at  times  music  as  pleas 
ing  as  the  rippling  of  a  brook.  She  was  soon 
queen  of  the  household  and  ruled  her  loving  sub 
jects  quite  despotically. 

Ruth's  first  earnings  were  carefully  hoarded, 
for  she  had  an  object  in  view.  With  her  brother's 
assistance,  when  the  first  yearly  light  was  lighted 
for  those  who  lay  sleeping  in  the  cemetery  at 
Wiesbaden  there  was  erected  over  their  graves 
a  marble  column  and  an  epitaph  written  in 
Hebrew  attesting  the  virtues  and  loving  disposi 
tion  of  the  deceased.  After  this  act  of  love  and 
devotion  the  mourning  gown  was  laid  aside. 

"Jerusalem !  how  pretty  and  sweet  you  look  in 
bright  colors.  I  think  I  must  hunt  up  some  of 
my  male  acquaintances  to  see  your  good  looks  be 
fore  they  fade  away,"  and  Joseph  eyed  his  sister 
critically. 


i8  THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT 

"Oh,  Joseph,  how  can  you  talk  so?  I  am 
happy  here." 

"Why,  what  do  you  mean?  Do  you  want  to  be 
an  old  maid?  I  hate  the  sight  of  them.  They 
are  actually  horrid." 

"Why,  what  are  you  saying?  There  is  Mrs. 
Bliss,  our  nice  Christian  neighbor,  who  has  an  un 
married  sister  some  forty  years  old,  and  I  am 
sure  she  is  sweet  and  good.  When  she  has  time 
she  teaches  poor  children  and  is  always  doing 
some  kind  of  charity.  I  have  often  heard  you 
say  yourself  that  she  is  one  of  the  best  of 
women." 

"Well,  so  she  is,  but  that  doesn't  alter  my 
wishes  about  you ;  besides,  would  it  not  be  better 
for  her  to  have  her  own  home  to  take  care  of 
than  caring  for  other  people's  children?  Take 
my  advice,  get  married;  and  listen,  Ruth,  don't 
wait  until  you  are  old." 

"I  am  not  old  yet,  and  I  am  in  no  hurry,"  said 
she,  pouting  her  red  lips. 

"No,  no,  but  time  slips  away  and  we  grow  old 
before  we  know  it." 

One  of  the  characteristics  of  the  Jewish  race 
is,  that  if  possible,  there  shall  be  no  old  maids  in 
a  family.  This  tendency,  on  the  other  hand,  is 
counterbalanced  by  the  most  exquisite  tenderness 
toward  those  they  are  so  anxious  to  put  under 
another's  protection.  These  anomalies  in  human 
nature  are  inexplicable  and  mysterious. 

As  Ruth  was  one  day  laughingly  kissing  her 
brother,  he  said :  "I  think  I  have  found  some 
one  whom  you  will  love  better  than  you  do  me. 
What  do  you  say  to  that  ?" 


THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT  19 

"I  think  that  impossible,"  answered  Ruth, 
blushing  like  a  peony. 

"Well,  my  dear,  I  hope  you  will  try,  and  I 
think  when  you  have  seen  him  it  will  not  be  such 
very  hard  work.  Really,  my  friend,  Henry  Felcl, 
is  a  very  nice  young  man  and  he  is  as  handsome 
— let  me  think  how  handsome — as  that  marble 
picture  we  saw  in  the  gallery  the  other  day.  I 
forget  the  name,  but  what's  the  difference,  he  is 
good  looking." 

"Stop  now,  or  I  shall  really  try  to  make  myself 
look  pretty,"  and,  woman-like,  Ruth  threw  an  ad 
miring  glance  on  the  figure  which  the  opposite 
mirror  reflected. 

"Yes,"  said  Clara  smiling,  "to  make  ourselves 
pleasing  is  one  of  the  sweetest  aims  of  women. 
Don't  you  think  so,  Joseph?"  As  she  concluded 
the  sentence  one  arm  twined  itself  lovingly 
around  his  neck  and  the  dark  eyes  looked  affec 
tionately  into  his.  Kissing  her  tenderly,  he  could 
not  help  thinking  how  his  friend  would  thank 
him  for  making  him  a  Benedict,  too,  and  leading 
him  into  such  a  haven  of  bliss. 

"Ruth,  the  handsome  man  is  in  the  front  room 
and  will  spend  the  evening  with  you  if  you  make 
yourself  agreeable." 

"What,  already?" 

"It  has  been  a  week  or  more  since  we  talked  of 
him.  You  look  well  to-night,  come." 

"Where  is  Clara?    Let  her  go  in  first." 

"Clara  is  minding  the  baby,  come.  Come." 
There  was  nothing  for  Ruth  but  to  comply. 


2o  THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT 

As  Mr.  Rheinberg  introduced  his  sister,  she 
looked  down  demure  and  abashed  and  it  was 
some  time  before  she  could  look  the  "handsome 
man"  in  the  face,  but  Henry  Feld,  on  the  con 
trary,  gazed  at  her  boldly,  and  as  his  eyes  ran 
over  the  pretty,  intelligent  face  and  neat  figure, 
he  could  not  help  giving  vent  to  some  adroit  ex 
pression  of  admiration,  which  Ruth  scarcely 
knew  how  to  answer. 

"Not  so  fast,  friend  Henry,  my  sister  knows 
little  of  the  world  and  of  men  in  particular,  with 
their  flattery  and  nonsense."  Joseph  spoke  some 
what  chidingly,  though  he  inwardly  chuckled  at 
the  success  of  his  plans. 

"Why,  Joseph,  your  sister  is  splendid,  so  mod 
est,  so  good-looking  and  speaks  such  good  Eng 
lish  for  so  short  a  time.  I  wager  she  is  an  in 
dustrious  little  body,  making  good  use  of  her 
spare  time,  reading  and  doing  just  what  she 
should  do." 

"Yes,  indeed,"  returned  Joseph,  "Ruth  is  a 
trump.  There  is  only  one  other  woman  as  good 
as  she  is  and  that  is  my  wife.  The  man  who  gets 
my  sister  is  a  lucky  one." 

"Let  me  be  that  lucky  fellow." 

Ruth,  who  had  listened  to  this  conversation 
with  flushed  cheeks  and  quivering  lips,  now 
stepped  up  to  her  brother  and  said,  "For  shame, 
Joseph,  praising  me  so." 

"I  only  spoke  the  truth ;  but,  Henry,  you  ask 
too  quickly.  I  must  have  time  to  think  over  it 
and  talk  with  my  sister." 

Henry  endeavored  to  follow  up  his  advantage 


THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT  21 

and  have  the  proposition  considered  and  answered 
on  the  spot,  but  Ruth  persisted  in  saying: 

"No,  I  must  and  will  have  time  to  think  it 
over." 

"Well,  I  will  give  you  a  week,"  sullenly  as 
sented  Henry.  "Your  brother  has  known  me  ever 
since  he  has  been  in  New  York,  and  nothing  but 
good,  and  that  is  something,  you  know.  Well,  I 
will  get  over  my  bad  humor  and  come  to  see  you 
often  before  the  week  is  out  and  at  the  end  of  it 
have  an  answer.  And  let  it  be,  'yes/  don't  drive 
me  to  take  poison,"  and  he  ended  with  a  laugh. 

After  Joseph  considered  the  pros  and  cons,  he 
told  his  sister  that  she  should  accept  and  Ruth, 
though  she  thought  him  a  "little  quick"  in  his 
temper,  was  willing  to  be  guided. 

And  Joseph  continued,  "Don't  be  afraid;  he  is 
rash,  but  good-natured,  and  if  you  only  learn 
how  to  take  him,  he  will  make  a  first-rate  hus 
band.  With  him  it  was  love  at  first  sight." 

"But,  Joseph,  the  engagement  must  be  longer 
than  the  courtship." 

"I  will  give  you  six  weeks.  Will  that  be  long 
enough  for  courtship  and  preparation  ?" 

"Perhaps,  as  I  have  brought  with  me  piles  of 
linen  articles  made  up  by  poor  mother.  She  al 
ways  said,  'I  am  making  up  things  from  time  to 
time,  so  when  you  go  to  make  some  man  happy, 
you  will  not  come  like  a  beggar.'  Poor  mother," 
and  a  tear  started  to  her  eye. 

"How  happy,"  resumed  Joseph,  tenderly,  "our 
parents  would  be  if  here  now;  but  that  cannot 
be.  Maybe  they  know  in  heaven  what  we  are 
doing  here;  for  if  there  is  a  heaven,  those  old, 


22  THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT 

pious  souls,  knowing  no  wrong,  must  be  there. 
So,  dry  your  tears  and  think  of  your  lover." 

Henry  Feld,  true  to  his  appointment  came  and 
demanded  his  answer,  which  was  a  low,  almost 
inaudable,  assent.  Before  the  six  weeks  had  ex 
pired  Ruth  was  as  passionately  in  love  as  if  she 
were  going  to  marry  in  opposition  to  the  wishes 
of  her  brother  and  the  whole  world.  Her  heart 
overflowed  with  -happiness.  Love  had  trans 
formed  for  her  everything  with  his  magic  wand. 
Earth  seemed  to  partake  of  her  gladness  and  all 
nature  echoed  her  song  of  joy. 

"Oh,  Joseph!"  exclaimed  Ruth,  "the  days  seem 
to  fly ;  I  try  to  hold  them,  but  they  will  not  stay." 

And  who  under  such  circumstances  does  not 
realize  the  truth  of  the  poet: 

"Never  does  Time  travel  faster, 
Than  when  his  way  lies  among  flowers." 

"Dear  sister,  why  think  of  the  past  or  the  fu 
ture?  Take  the  present  and  make  the  best  of  it 
as  I  do,"  and  he  kissed  her  repeatedly. 

"Clara,  how  do  I  look  in  my  white  muslin  with 
these  pretty  orange  blossoms  in  my  hair?  Dear 
Henry  has  given  me  so  many  things !"  and,  Ruth 
— for  it  was  her  wedding  day — turned  'round  and 
'round  for  the  inspection  of  her  sister-in-law. 

"You  look  so  well  that  I  can  hardly  believe  it  is 
you.  I  am  sure  I  must  look  horrid  in  this  old 
dress  made  over;  but  you  know  the  little  one 
costs,  and  I  prefer  that  she  should  be  well 
dressed.  But  see  how  good  Joseph  is ;  he  brought 


THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT  23 

me  this  last  night  with  which  to  deck  myself,"  and 
she  took  out  of  a  paper  box  stuffed  with  pink 
cotton,  a  heavy  gold  chain. 

"Lovely!"  cried  Ruth;  "it  is  as  thick  as  the 
one  Henry  gave  me.  The  girls  tell  me  I  mustn't 
wear  mine  till  the  marriage  is  over,  but  then  I 
will  put  on  all  I  have  and  make  them  stare.  I 
wish  it  was  over,  though,  I  feel  a  little  nervous." 

"It  won't  be  long;  kiss  me,  and  here  comes  little 
Letitia  for  a  kiss." 

The  smiling  brother  gave  the  happy,  but 
trembling,  bride  away,  and  when  the  marriage 
vows  bound  her  to  Henry  Feld,  angels  appeared 
to  sing  in  her  ear,  and  heavenly  visions  of  happi 
ness  floated  around  her. 


24  THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT 


CHAPTER  III. 

Civilization  had  reached  the  mighty  West  of 
the  New  Continent  and  had  built  the  town  of 

D ,  in  Missouri,  on  the  grand  Mississippi. 

Progress  had  been  born  there,  but  struggled 
feebly  for  existence.  The  child  was  not  yet 
strong  enough  to  strangle  the  serpent  Prejudice, 
which  flourished  on  the  soil  and  raised  its  hardy 
head  with  pride  and  insolence. 

"Letitia,  to-day  eighteen  years  ago  we  left  New 

York  for  this  town  of  D .  You  are  nineteen 

years  and  six  months  old  now ;  then  you  were  a 
little  toddling  girl  and  the  only  one,"  said  Mrs. 
Rheinberg. 

"It's  a  pity  I  did  not  remain  so,"  said  the  young 
girl,  crossly. 

"How  you  talk.  Don't  let  your  father  hear 
that.  I  have  seven  children  now  and  heaven 
knows  what  destiny  is  in  store  for  them." 

"Roses,  of  course!"  said  Letitia,  contemptu 
ously.  "Don't  trouble  yourself  to  think,  mother, 
you  are  growing  too  stout." 

"Then  the  more  I  think  the  better.  It  will 
take  down  some  of  the  fat.  I  am  not  so  stout  as 
Mrs.  Silverbaum ;  why,  her  daughter  Rebecca's 
waist  is  nearly  as  large  as  mine." 

"That  is  certainly  a  matter  of  congratulation. 
Mrs.  Silverbaum!  that  hateful,  vulgar,  old 


THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT  2^ 

woman!  I  don't  blame  her  husband  for  dying 
and  leaving  her  to  shift  for  herself;  though 
through  his  life  insurance  she  can  live  better  now 
than  before.  That  Rebecca  is  now  prouder  than 
ever.  She  thinks  she  is  wisdom  personified,  al 
ways  correcting  her  mother.  She  must  be 
twenty-five,  I  fancy." 

"No,  she  is  not  more  than  twenty-two — her 
mother  told  me  so.  Take  care,  Letitia,  that  you 
don't  follow  her  and  forget  what  you  owe  your 
mother." 

"Forgive  me,  mother.  Have  I  been  cross? 
But  then  I  cannot  help  getting  vexed  even  when 
I  make  the  best  resolutions.  Think  how  things 
work  against  us.  There  is  Aunt  Ruth,  who  has 
only  one  child.  Not  alone  is  my  cousin,  Grace 
Feld,  the  only  child,  but  her  father  is  fairly  rich 
and  mine  is  poor.  Why  did  not  father  invest  in 
lands,  too ;  he  has  to  struggle  along  in  business 
and  so  many  mouths  to  feed  ?  I,  who  love  refine 
ment,  comfort  and  luxury,  must  content  myself 
with  little  or  nothing,  while  that  pale  Grace,  with 
her  fair  complexion,  blue  eyes  and  golden  hair, 
has  everything  thrust  upon  her.  She  is  the  idol 
of  her  parents,  and  were  it  not  that  she  is  a 
Jewess  would  be  the  idol  of  her  companions. 
What  is  there  in  that  doll  face?"  Letitia  in  her 
passion  wept. 

"For  heaven's  sake,  child,  don't  cry.  Doesn't 
your  father  do  his  best  for  you?  Have  you 
not  been  going  to  the  convent  school  as  long 
as  Grace?  Will  you  not,  please  God,  graduate 
next  year  as  well  as  she  ?  Have  I  not  denied  my- 


26  THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT 

self,  and  even  your  little  sisters  and  brothers, 
many  things  to  give  you  what  you  like  ?" 

"Yes,  yes,  that  is  all  true;  that  is  what  makes 
things  so  bitter  for  me." 

"But  your  father  and  I  do  it  willingly.  You 
are  our  heart's  delight;  you  are  a  star  in  beauty 
and  you  are  certainly  as  smart  as  Grace.  In  your 
father  you  are  blessed,  at  all  events" — hesitat 
ingly — "for  your  uncle  drinks." 

"Oh,  yes,  mother,  I  am  smarter  than  Grace  is. 
And  I  am  beautiful,  my  mirror  tells  the  tale.  My 
hair  is  as  black  as  the  raven's  wing,  my  com 
plexion  dark  and  clear  as  a  running  stream,  my 
lips  as  red  as  cherries,  my  figure  straight  as  an 
arrow  and  well  developed ;  Grace  sinks  into  in 
significance  beside  me.  Mother,  I  say  my  beauty 
must  bring  me  for  what  I  long.  But  who  is  there 
here  ?  That  merchant,  Berkhoff  ?  He  is  too  vul 
gar;  he  has  no  taste.  The  field  is  small,"  and 
she  hung  her  head  in  thought. 

"Child,  I  never  knew  your  heart  before.  Al 
ready  thinking  of  marriage  while  at  school. 
Come,  put  away  such  thoughts,  darling,  they 
pain  me,"  and  her  mother  clasped  her  affection 
ately  in  her  arms. 

"Didn't  I  tell  you  not  to  think  you  are  too 
stout;  now,  you  old  pet,  I  tell  you  not  to  think 
lest  you  may  get  too  thin,"  and  she  gave  her 
mother  two  or  three  hearty  embraces.  "I  am  go 
ing  to  the  window  now  to  prepare  my  lessons  and 
see  who  passes.  Why,  there  is  Grace !  It  is 
well  that  she  must  always  pass  my  window  to 
go  to  town  unless  she  takes  a  roundabout  way. 
I  wonder  where  she  has  been  ?  So  late,  too !" 


*   THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT  27 

Grace  Feld  walked  on  at  a  hurried  gait  two 
blocks  further  on  and  ran  up  the  steps  of  her 
elegant  home,  which  was  surrounded  by  exten 
sive  and  beautifully  laid  out  grounds. 

"Mother,  mother,  where  are  you?  Were  you 
frightened  that  I  stayed  so  long?"  and  Grace, 
who  entered  her  mother's  sitting-room,  threw  her 
arms  around  her  neck  and  kissed  her. 

"Yes,  I  was,"  returned  Mrs.  Feld,  a  little  more 
mature  than  when  we  saw  her  on  her  wedding 
day.  "What  kept  you  so  long  and  why  didn't  you 
take  Letitia  with  you?  You  know  your  father 
doesn't  like  it  when  you  go  out  alone." 

"Do  you  know,  mother,  I  walked  along  in 
thought  until  I  passed  the  house.  So  I  went  into 
Berkhoff's  for  the  book — I  wish  papa  kept  books 
• — he  has  such  a  nice  collection,  you  know.  He 
waited  on  me  himself.  He  was  so  long  about  it — • 
I  found  half  of  them  myself — I  was  afraid  it 
would  be  night.  He  offered  to  take  me  home, 
but  I  declined.  I  knew  you  would  not  like  it,  but 
Rebecca  Silverbaum  in  silks  and  feathers  was 
just  passing  and  stopped  to  talk  with  him.  She 
talked  and  laughed  so  loudly  that  I  just  gave 
them  a  little  nod  and  ran  on." 

"Quite  right,  darling.  Rebecca  is  a  little  stuck 
up,  though,  of  course,  not  with  us,  and  her 
mother  is  dreadful.  Grace,  I  was  poor,  very  poor, 
at  home,  with  learning  barely  enough  to  read  and 
write,  but  how  different  my  poor,  old  mother  was 
from  Mrs.  Silverbaum  and  how  differently  I  was 
brought  up  from  Rebecca." 

"I  am  sure  of  it;  I  am  sure  of  it,  mother." 


28  THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT 

"Berkhoff  is  good  and  charitable.  I  am  afraid 
Rebecca  will  pull  him  into  her  net." 

"He  is  very  vain,  I  think,  and  forgets  his 
grammar  occasionally;  so  Rebecca  may  be  just 
the  girl  for  him." 

"Well,  we  will  not  make  any  matches  yet," 
laughed  Mrs.  Feld,  "so  ring  the  bell  and  let  Pete 
light  the  lights." 

Grace  did  as  she  was  bidden.  The  servant 
entered,  flooded  the  room  with  light  and  left  them 
together.  "Why,  mamma,  how  pale  you  look. 
Are  you  fatigued?" 

"Yes,  a  little.  Take  up  your  books,  child,  and 
learn  your  lessons." 

The  darkness  grew  thicker  and  deeper  outside, 
the  stars  shone  brighter  and  brighter,  and  Grace 
continued  studying,  with  every  now  and  then  a 
furtive  glance  at  her  mother,  whose  sad  face  re 
flected  the  painful  meditation  of  her  heart;  finally 
she  gave  her  books  a  toss  and  said,  "I  am  tired 
of  studying,  mamma.  I  shall  leave  my  astro 
nomical  problems  unsolved  until  after  dinner ;  I 
shall  come  from  celestial  to  terrestrial  things.  I 
wonder  papa  doesn't  come  in  for  dinner.  I  am 
going  to  the  door  to  see." 

"No,  child,  don't  go.  You  cannot  see  in  the 
dark." 

"My  eyes  are  like  an  owl's.  I  can  peer  through 
the  darkness  and  perhaps  see  papa.  I  suppose 
business  detains  him.  Why,  you  are  crying!" 
Her  mother's  tears  made  Grace  pale  visibly.  "He 
came  home  later  yesterday  and  was  not — cross,  I 
mean." 

"Oh,  Grace,"  replied  her  mother,  though  she 


THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT  29 

did  not  notice  her  confusion  about  the  word 
"cross,"  which  she  substituted  for  intoxicated. 
"When  your  father  touched  the  wine  cup  to  make 
trade  better,  it  was  an  unhappy  hour  for  me." 

"Have  patience,  mother,"  and  Grace  caressed 
her  affectionately.  "Hark !  I  hear  his  footsteps 
approaching.  Dry  your  tears,  do  not  let  him  see 
that  you  have  been  crying,  for  you  know  it  irri 
tates  him.  Run  and  embrace  him,  dear  mother, 
it  will  soothe  him." 

"Indeed,  I  cannot,  my  limbs  tremble  so  I  can 
not  walk.  Hear,  he  is  scolding  the  servants  and 
must  be  in  a  worse  condition  than  usual." 

Grace  trembled.  That  the  servants  should 
know,  gossip  and  sneer  about  the  infirmity  of  her 
dear  father,  was  maddening.  Alone  she  could 
endure  it,  but  for  the  world  to  be  a  spectator,  her 
courage  forsook  her  and  she  stood  as  if  petrified. 

"A  warm  welcome,  indeed,  after  the  wear  and 
tear  of  the  day's  business,"  said  Mr.  Feld  as  he 
came  in  and  glared  savagely  at  his  wife  and 
child.  "Both  as  cold  as  marble,  too !  I  think  I 
had  better  be  moving  into  a  more  congenial  place. 
You,  Miss  Grace,  have  too  much  book  learning 
to  be  polite  to  your  father.  Madam,  you  had  bet 
ter  put  a  little  more  love  into  your  daughter's 
heart." 

Grace  endeavored  to  repress  her  sobs  and  make 
her  peace  with  him,  knowing  she  alone  could 
avert  the  storm  from  breaking  with  unrestrained 
fury  on  the  head  of  her  devoted  mother. 

"Papa,  dear,"  she  said,  as  she  threw  her  arms 
around  him  in  a  fervent  embrace,  though  he  was 
reeking  with  the  fumes  of  liquor,  "dear  mamma 


30  THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT 

always  teaches  me  to  love,  obey  and  pray  for 
you.  As  to  education,  who  so  proud  and  happy 
as  you,  to  see  my  mind  expanded  and  enriched  by 
culture !  You  think  how  wise  I  am.  And  when 
you  look  at  my  sketch-book  you  say  I  have  genius, 
that  I  shall  astonish  every  one  yet.  Now,  will 
you  reproach  mamma  for  making  me  all  that 
pleases  you  ?"  The  sad,  plaintive  voice  and  trem 
bling  form  of  this  frail  mimosa  appealed  to  his 
heart. 

"Well,  well,  only  stop  those  everlasting  tears, 
which  you  women  bring  up  at  a  moment's  notice," 
as  the  tears  glistened  in  the  eyes  of  Grace,  and 
he  staggered  to  the  marble  table  where  lay  her 
books.  "What  do  you  call  this?"  and  his  at 
tempted  smile  ended  in  a  leer. 

"This  is  a  work  on  astronomy." 

"What  does  it  tell  you  ?" 

"It  tells  of  the  sun,  moon  and  stars  and  their 
movements." 

"You  buy  your  books  of  Berkhoff!  Damn 
him,  damn  him,  I  say!  Do  you  see  his  name?" 
said  he,  excitedly. 

"I  always  buy  my  books  there,  father,  can't 
always  get  them  elsewhere,"  replied  Grace,  much 
shocked  at  her  father's  words. 

"He  has  injured  me,  Grace,  he  takes  rny  cus 
tomers  from  me  by  selling  cheaper.  He  is  a 
puppy,  he  is.  Think  I  will  get  poor  through 
him?  Don't  forget  it,  and  let's  to  dinner.  I  am 
thirsty,"  he  said  in  a  whining  voice. 

"Grace,"  said  her  mother  sotto  voce,  "do  your 
best  to  coax  him  to  his  room.  Make  him  lie 
down.  I  am  disgusted  and  heartbroken." 


THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT  31 

"What  yer  saying?    I  want  drink"  (hie,  hie). 

"Yes,  yes,  come  with  Grace,  father ;  I  shall 
give  you  something  to  drink."  So  with  tears  and 
entreaties  she  brought  him  to  his  room,  where 
he  threw  himself  heavily  on  the  bed.  Grace 
brought  coffee  and  gently  compelled  him  to  drink 
some,  then  she  retired  to  her  own  apartment.  She 
had  no  heart  to  go  and  console  her  mother.  She 
threw  herself  on  her  knees  in  her  misery,  ex 
claiming,  "Merciful  Father,  is  it  possible  that  I 
can  and  must  endure  such  scenes?  I  so  young, 
my  life  to  be  blighted  by  this  vice!  My  father 
to  be  pointed  at  with  the  finger  of  scorn !  His 
blue  eyes  dim  and  watery,  his  noble  form  bent 
and  tottering  with  such  an  execrable  habit,  I  to 
be  called  the  drunkard's  daughter,  my  mother  the 
drunkard's  wife,  my  mother's  heart  crushed,  my 
pride  and  elasticity  gone — this  is  gall  and  worm 
wood." 

The  musical  murmurs  of  the  winds  stealing 
through  the  shrubbery  made  a  soothing  lullaby 
to  her  wounded  spirit.  When  abed  she  said  her 
prayers  and,  feeling  exhausted,  soon  sank  into  a 
deep  slumber. 

"There  goes  pretty  Grace  Feld  to  school,"  said 
young  Mr.  Bennett  (who  was  paying  teller  in  the 
Missouri  Bank)  to  Mr.  Hill.  The  latter  was  a 
fine,  portly  gentleman  of  advanced  years  with 
silvery  hair,  the  embodiment  of  gentility  and  re 
finement. 

"Yes,  it  is  she.  Alice,  who  is  so  recklessly 
good-natured,  has  spoken  to  her  once  or  twice. 
Amelia  gives  her  a  wide  circuit." 


32 

"I  have  not  been  here  long  you  know.  It  was 
Miss  Alice  who  called  my  attention  to  her  thus, 
'That  fragile  flower  is  Miss  Feld,  that  red  rose, 
her  cousin — looks  as  if  she  were  full  of  thorns.' 
Miss  Alice  is  very  ingenious;  I  am  striving  for 
her  good  graces,  with  your  permission." 

"No  objection.  Your  letters  of  recommenda 
tion  from  friends  of  mine  open  my  doors  to  you. 
Still  there  is  time  enough.  'Hasten  slowly,'  my 
boy." 

"Your  advice  does  not  agree  with  my  senti 
ments,"  said  the  young  man,  "but  I  shall  be  ad 
vised,  sir.  There  comes  Mr.  Feld.  He  was  in  a 
deplorable  state  yesterday,  staggering  around 
town;  I  should  think  he  would  respect  himself 
more." 

"I  know  nothing  of  him,  except  through  the 
gossip  of  a  small  town  like  this." 

"I  must  tell  you  what  I  heard  when  I  first  came 
here,  it  is  too  good;  it  may  lose  flavor  by  keep 
ing." 

"Well,  well,  you  render  me  impatient." 

"A  gentleman,  an  old  resident,  said  to  me, 
'Mrs.  Feld  is  a  very  charitable  woman,  she  is, 

but' Pray  don't  stop  there,  I  cried.  Has  she 

committed  some  fearful  crime  that  has  photo 
graphed  itself  on  her  face?  If  so  then  arrest 
her  and  put  her  in  some  deep  dungeon  and  there 
let  her  pass  her  vile  life  away!'  He  resumed, 
'She  has  been  born  with  it.  It  is  derived  from 
her  ancestors.  She  does  not  practice  it,  but  is 
there  all  the  same.  It  is  her  religion.  She  is  of 
that  proscribed  race  whom  nothing  but  conver 
sion  can  make  good.'  " 


THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT  33 

"I  have  never  come  in  contact  with  them. 
There  are  only  a  few  Jews  here,  and  I  avoid  them 
very  easily.  As  a  lawyer  I  have  never  been  called 
upon  by  them  and  I  am  heartily  glad  of  it.  I 
think  that  socially  they  are  for  the  most  part  best 
off  by  themselves,"  observed  the  old  gentleman 
stiffly. 

"Would  you  confine  them  to  Ghettos  and  pre 
cincts  as  of  old  and  as  is  still  done  in  Russia?" 

"Heaven  forbid.  As  I  am  an  American-born 
citizen  with  freedom  glowing  in  my  veins,  I 
should  restrict  no  one  on  account  of  his  religious 
opinions.  Still,  I  prefer  not  to  mingle  with  them. 
In  maintaining  my  individual  rights  I  must  re 
spect  those  of  others,  but  my  dislike  to  this  race 
is  beyond  my  will.  If  green  peace  are  a  vegeta 
ble  I  cannot  digest,  I  do  not  eat  them,  but  I  do 
not  prohibit  others  from  doing  so.  Why,  bless 
my  heart !  who  is  this  sailing  down  on  us  with  all 
her  sails  spread  and  arrayed  in  all  the  colors  of 
the  rainbow?" 

"Miss  Alice,"  naively  said  Charles  Bennett, 
"told  me  she  is  a  Miss  Silverbaum.  Her  neck 
lace  is  as  thick  as  a  rope.  That  must  be  worth 
something.  She  is  gorgeous.  It  is  fortunate 
Miss  Hill  is  not  here  to  see  her." 

"Ah !  Amelia  is  a  little  severe,  but  it  is  neces 
sary  sometimes.  I  must  hurry  up  to  my  office 
now.  Good-day,  Mr.  Bennett." 

"Good-day,  Mr.  Hill.  Please  call  me  Charlie 
hereafter." 

"Not  yet,  you  sly  dog." 


34  THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT 


CHAPTER  IV. 

The  Hill  mansion  was  situated  on  a  pleasant, 
wide  street  surrounded  by  poplars.  It  was  of  red 
brick,  two  stories  high,  with  a  good  depth,  and 
in  front  was  a  pretty  little  garden,  with  wild 
roses  rioting  over  the  fence;  in  the  rear  a  very 
small  orchard  and  vegetable  garden.  In  summer 
the  strawberries  kissed  the  ground,  in  winter  the 
snow  blotted  out  fruit,  roses  and  leaves  and  left 
nothing  but  memories. 

"I  see  papa  coming  in  the  distance,"  said  Alice 
Hill,  clapping  her  hands. 

"And  who  is  with  him?"  returned  her  sister 
Amelia,  while  a  slight  smile  played  around  her 
lips. 

"It's — Charlie,  I  declare,"  replied  Alice,  while 
her  cheeks  flushed  with  pleasure.  "What  a  nice 
time  we  shall  have ;  he  will  stay  to  dinner  and 
then  spend  the  evening." 

"Oh,  fie,  Alice,"  resumed  Amelia,  "your  merry 
blue  eyes  tell  tales.  But  here  they  are,"  and  she 
greeted  her  father  with  a  soft  kiss  and  the  vis 
itor  with  an  easy,  but  dignified  courtesy. 

"Here,  papa,  don't  let  me  be  overshadowed  by 
Amelia.  Let  me  give  you  my  kiss  of  welcome. 
How  do  you  do,  Charl — Mr.  Bennett,  I  mean." 

"Why,  Miss  Hoyden,  how  now?"  questioned 
her  father. 


THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT  35 

"Never  mind,  Mr.  Hill,  Miss  Alice  and  I  under 
stand  each  other.  Don't  we?"  said  Bennett  gayly, 
at  the  same  time  shaking  hands. 

After  dinner  had  been  partaken  of  Mr.  Hill 
said  quietly  but  quizzically  to  Amelia,  "There  is 
an  addition  to  the  town.  Can  you  imagine  in 
what  shape?" 

"I  am  not  at  all  happy  in  guessing,  father." 

"I  see  by  the  sparkle  in  your  eye,  Alice,  you 
want  to  ask  a  question.  Go  on,"  said  her  father. 

"Is  it  an  architect  to  build  a  new  home  or  is  it 
a  sea-monster?  Come,  papa,  I  give  it  up,"  and 
she  nodded  to  Bennett.  He  laughed  heartily  as 
if  he  divined  what  was  coming. 

"It  is,"  resumed  Mr.  Hill  slowly,  "a  Jewish 
lawyer."  No  one  spoke  for  a  moment.  The  rev 
elation  stupefied  the  young  ladies,  while  Bennett 
seemed  rather  amused  at  the  grave  situation. 

"He  must  be  an  ogre,"  returned  Alice,  resum 
ing  her  gayety  before  the  shadow  of  thought 
passed  from  Amelia's  brow. 

"Girls,  twenty-three  years  ago,  when  I  mar 
ried  your  dear,  deceased  mother,  there  was  not  a 
Jew  in  this  town  and  now  there  will  soon  be  a 
community  of  them.  They  force  themselves 
everywhere  and  into  everything,"  and  Mr.  Hill 
drank  some  ice  water  to  restore  his  equilibrium. 

"Mr.  Bennett,  you  came  from  a  large  city,  have 
you  ever  come  across  a  Jewish  lawyer?"  asked 
Amelia. 

"In  St.  Louis,  where  I  hail  from,  there  are 
shoals  of  them,  personally  I  know  nothing  about 
them." 

"It  is  all  very  well  for  them  to  be  lawyers  in 


36  THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT 

large  cities  where  their  people  congregate,  but  to 
intrude  even  into  the  towns,  practice  with  us 
members  of  the  bar,  disseminating  some  of  their 
antique  opinions,  I  say  it  is  abominable,"  con 
tinued  Mr.  Hill. 

"Have  you  seen  this  man  and  what  is  his 
name?"  questioned  Amelia  of  Bennett. 

"I  have  not  seen  him,  but  his  shingle  is  flung 
to  the  breeze  with  the  inscription,  'Mark  Anthony 
Everard,  Attorney-at-Law,'  in  large  black  let 
ters." 

"It  is  a  wonder  they  are  not  in  gilt,"  replied 
Amelia.  "Father,  you  will  most  probably  see  him 
to-morrow  and  can  then  tell  us  what  he  looks 
like." 

"Let  me  describe  him  to  you,"  broke  in  Alice. 
"Short  of  stature,  black,  hungry  looking  eyes,  re 
ceding  forehead,  a  nose  like  the  beak  of  an  eagle, 
thick  lips,  stop — I  must  not  forget  to  crown  his 
head  with  short,  thick,  black,  curly  hair.  Now,  if 
Gustave  Dore  were  living  and  would  only  make 
an  illustration  of  that,  Amelia,  how  pretty  it 
would  be  for  your  album,"  said  she  with  a  laugh. 

"Alice,"  said  her  father  reprovingly,  "you  go 
too  far.  I  never  could  abide  caricature.  I  dis 
like  the  Jewish  race,  their  intrusion,  in  fact, 
everything  about  them,  but  your  dear  mother 
would  not  have  approved  of  your  laughter  at  the 
expense  of  another.  She  was  too  religious  and 
too  good  for  that." 

Alice,  abashed  and  with  tears  in  her  eyes,  hung 
her  head  and  faltered  out,  "Forgive  me,  papa,  it's 
wicked,  I  know." 

"Mark  Anthony  Everard,  a  pretty  name,  don't 


THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT  37 

you  think  so,  Miss  Hill?"  inquired  Bennett, 
anxious  to  cover  the  confusion  of  Alice. 

"It  sounds  harsh  and  heathenish  to  me,"  replied 
Amelia. 

"I  warrant  you  he  prides  himself  that  he 
is  named  after  that  licentious — that  illustrious 
Roman,  Mark  Anthony,  Ha,  Ha,"  laughed  Mr. 
Hill.  "Come,  girls,  let  us  have  some  music  and 
singing.  Bennett  here,  with  his  fine  tenor  voice, 
can  admirably  accompany  you.  Let  us  enjoy  our 
evening." 

"Amelia,"  exclaimed  Alice  the  next  day,  run 
ning  up  to  her  sister  as  she  closed  the  door  after 
her,  "I  have  seen  the  phenomenon.  What  a  pity 
you  were  not  with  me !" 

"What  phenomenon?  Pray  don't  speak  in 
riddles." 

"The  Jewish  lawyer,  to  be  sure.  What  other 
phenomenon  can  or  will  this  town  ever  boast 
of?"  replied  Alice,  laughing  and  then  pouting  her 
pretty  lips. 

"Indeed !  I  am  sure  I  did  not  lose  much  by  re 
maining  at  home." 

"But  you  did.  Let  me  describe  him  accurately 
this  time.  He  has  a  tall,  'commanding  figure,  blue 
eyes — mind,  not  black — a  pleasant  mouth,  fair 
complexion  and  light  hair,  and  no  little  curls.  I 
am  afraid,  Amelia,  Gustave  Dore,  if  living,  could 
not  do  him  justice !" 

"I  am  astonished  at  you,  Alice.  You  must 
have  stared  at  him." 

"Oh,  Amelia,  you  know  I  may  be  thoughtless, 
but  I  am  never  rude.  I  went  into  Berkhoff's  store 
to  get  some  more  of  that  blue  material  to  put  an- 


38  THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT 

other  ruffle  on  my  dress,  when  whom  should  I  see 
but  Mr.  Berkhoff,  Charlie  and  another  gentleman 
standing  together  talking  business,  politics,  I 
don't  know  what.  Of  course,  I  must  talk  a  word 
with  Charlie  or  his  appetite  would  be  spoiled  for 
dinner.  We  felt  we  were  near  each  other  right 
away,  magnetic  attraction,  you  know,  and  what 
could  he  do  but  chivalrously  say,  'Miss  Alice  Hill, 
will  you  allow  me  to  introduce  you  to  Mr.  Ever- 
ard  ?" 

"I  should  think  he  would  have  had  sufficient 
politeness  to  go  and  not  have  intruded." 

"But  you  forget,  sister,  I  was  the  cause,  the  in 
nocent,  little  cause,  that  interrupted  them.  Mr. 
Everard  acknowledged  the  introduction  with  the 
bow  of  a  courtier — yes,  a  courtier,  who  must 
know  how  to  bow  well,  I  think — and  spoke  a  few 
words  in  clear,  pure  English ;  not  the  slightest  ac 
cent  Your  exact  ideal  of  a  man,  Amelia,  but,  of 
course,  if  all  his  opinions,  which  are  no  doubt 
coarse,  were  written  on  his  face  he  would  look 
hideous." 

"Alice,  how  dare  you !  how  can  you  so  offend 
me  as  to  say  that  my  ideal  of  a  man  is  found  in 
one  of  Jewish  birth?  I  do  not  hate  that  race,  I 
simply  despise  it,"  and  she  spoke  with  a  passion 
that  was  foreign  to  her  nature. 

"Oh,  sister!"  exclaimed  Alice,  frightened  at 
Amelia's  face,  "don't  misunderstand  me.  You 
know  when  you  refused  Mr.  Lawrence,  of  Bos 
ton,  I  reproached  you,  or  rather  thought  you 
should  have  taken  him;  you  told  me  I  did  not 
understand  for  what  your  soul  craved.  You 
sketched  a  man  with  just  such  an  exterior,  but  as 


THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT  39 

for  mind  and  soul  you  depicted  something  so 
grand,  so  noble,  I  fear  he  must  be  a  demigod  to 
realize  that.  But  then  you  are  older,  twenty,  you 
know,  better  and  wiser  than  I  am.  I  often  tell 
papa  I  think  you  are  perfection ;  then  he  says, 
'Look  at  her  and  you  can  picture  your  dear,  dead 
mother.'  There  is  no  one  good  enough  for  you." 

Amelia  was  human  and  her  spirit  was  softened 
at  her  sister's  heartfelt  incense.  She  archly  said, 
"Don't  let  Charlie  hear  you  give  such  glowing  de 
scriptions  of  Mr.  Everard." 

"Oh,  Charlie  is  the  best  fellow  in  the  world. 
Suits  me  exactly.  He  is  dark  and  I  am  blonde; 
I  am  of  medium  height,  he  a  little  taller;  I  nearly 
eighteen — lacking  three  months — he  twenty-six. 
We  are  both  gay  and  happy  and  I  know  we  shall 
both  love  each  other  more  every  day.  Charlie 
says  when  I  am  eighteen  he  is  going  boldly  to 
ask  papa  for  my  hand ;  my  heart  he  has  already. 
Do  you  remember  two  weeks  ago  when  you 
feared  I  was  ill  I  was  so  quiet,  and  to  soothe  your 
loving  apprehensions  I  told  you  it  was  supreme 
happiness  that  caused  it ;  Charlie  had  told  me  that 
day  that  he  loved  me  more  than  anything  on 
earth." 

"Indeed,  darling,  I  remember.  I  have  had  con 
siderable  talk  with  papa  about  him ;  he  says,  'I 
shall  wait  and  see.  Charlie  is  a  clever  fellow. 
His  father  was  a  companion  of  mine  in  my  young 
days.'  So,  I  think,  when  he  asks  father  will  not 
say  him  nay." 

Alice,  with  joy  in  her  heart,  took  Amelia  in  her 
arms  and  embraced  her. 


4O  THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT 


CHAPTER  V. 

"Oh,  mother,  mother,"  said  Grace,  coming 
home  from  the  convent  school,  "my  heart  has  re 
ceived  a  deep  wound  to-day.  Shall  I  ever  forget 
it?  I  wish  we  were  out  of  this  detestable  place 
or  that  God  had  made  us  Christians."  Burning 
tears  ran  down  her  cheeks  and  she  threw  herself 
despondingly  into  a  chair. 

"Tut,  tut,  my  dear  child !  Have  they  again 
been  taunting  you  with  the  name  of  'Jew'?  And 
is  not  my  dear  daughter's  soul  strong  enough  to 
bear  the  injustice  in  silence  or  to  answer  with  be 
coming  dignity  ?  Ah !  it  is  not  your  Cousin  Le- 
titia,  who  for  the  gibes  of  thoughtless  children 
would  wish  that  she  were  born  of  another  faith. 
Are  you  ready  to  deny  your  God  for  hearing  the 
truth,  and  a  truth  of  which  you  should  be  proud?" 

"I  know  I  should,"  and  Grace  looked  confused, 
"but,  dear  mother,  you  cannot  imagine  how  sorely 
I  have  been  tried.  I  told  you  yesterday  of  the 
sorority  organized  by  the  girls  of  our  class. 
Naturally,  Letitia  and  I  sent  in  our  names.  I 
had  no  doubt  that  we  would  be  admitted  without 
hesitation,  as  we  stand  well  in  class  and  our 
deportment  is  good.  But  before  taking  our 
names  they  told  us  that  the  rule  of  the  sorority 
was  that  each  one  should  wear  a  cross.  Well,  I 
had  gone  too  far  to  recede;  Letitia  made  some 


THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT  41 

objection,  but  as  it  was  the  rule,  I  thought  it 
would  seem  bigoted  not  to  comply,  and  induced 
her  to  do  likewise.  Judge  of  our  surprise  and 
mortification  when  we  were  rejected.  Being  near 
a  knot  of  girls,  one  said,  right  within  our  hearing, 
too,  'The  impudence  of  those  two  girls  wanting 
to  be  admitted  into  our  order  which,  though  sim 
ply  one  of  companionship  and  pleasure,  is  still, 
by  the  cross,  emblematical  of  our  holy  religion. 
We  will  not  admit  such  as  they.'  You  should 
have  seen  and  heard  Letitia,  her  body  erect,  her 
head  thrown  proudly  back,  her  eyes  flashing  fire, 
her  cheeks  burning,  ker  words  seemed  to  scorch 
her  hearers,  who  retreated  as  though  from  a  fire. 
I  could  say  nothing.  The  blinding  tears  scalded 
my  cheeks,  my  heart  palpitated  fearfully  and  T 
almost  wished  to  die.  And  then  there  was  the 
new  girl,  Josie  Guidry,  from  Louisiana,  whom  I 
so  much  admire,  standing  near  them."  Grace 
broke  down  at  the  recollection  and  cried  bitterly. 

"Come,  child,"  and  her  mother  smoothed  her 
hair  lovingly,  "I  do  not  like  your  tears  or  Letitia's 
rough  way.  She  must  have  looked  like  that  fa 
bled — what  do  you  call  it  that  you  read  to  me 
about  ?" 

"Pythoness,"  replied  Grace,  smiling  through 
her  tears. 

"Yes,  that  is  it.  Religion  should  use  no  vio 
lence  in  words  or  deeds  and  should  gain  what  it 
can  by  persuasion  and  reason.  By  being  quiet 
under  indignities  we  show  that  our  religious 
teachings  are  better." 

Grace  smiled  again.  Mrs.  Feld  inquired  the 
cause  and  she  answered:  "You  know  my  sweet, 


42  THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT 

gentle  friend,  Lizzie  Raynor,  that  angel  of  good 
ness,  who  is  ever  near  me  when  I  need  her,  told 
me  that  she  would  resign  her  presidency  of  the 
sorority  if  we  were  not  admitted,  but  I  entreated 
her  not  to  do  so,  as  neither  Letitia  nor  I  would 
ever  enter  unless  with  the  good-will  of  all  the 
members.  She  told  me  not  to  mind  such  rude,  ill- 
bred  girls,  that  her  religion  taught  sisterly  and 
brotherly  love,  that  I  must  endure  silently  and 
that  her  holy  faith  had  a  glorious  example  in  her 
Lord,  who  died  to  save  and  who  held  out  his 
arms  to  repentant  sinners.  That  it  was  his  wish 
for  all  to  go  unpunished,  as  he  said,  'Forgive 
them,  they  know  not  what  they  do."  Though  I 
did  not  want  to  hear  of  her  Saviour,  the  kind 
words,  after  so  much  rudeness,  fell  like  balm  on 
my  lacerated  feelings.  Mother,  dear  mother,  I 
was  fearfully  taxed  to-day  and  my  weak,  but 
proud  soul  was  tested,  and  it  bent  and  swayed 
like  a  reed  before  the  wind." 

"Come  to  my  arms,  you  wounded  dove,  and 
let  us  pray  God  that  these  Christians" — a  little  of 
the  blood  of  the  Pharisees  still  flowed  in  her 
veins — "may  have  a  little  more  love  for  every 
body  put  into  their  hearts ;  that  your  spirit  may  be 
strong  and  let  come  what  will  that  your  faith  may 
never  grow  weak.  May  the  God  of  your  fathers, 
who  saved  them  from  the  Egyptians,  lift  up  your 
sinking  spirit  and  keep  you  from  harm  and 
danger." 

Grace,  with  hands  folded  around  her  mother, 
prayed  fervently,  but  it  was  not  to  the  God  who 
smote  Ammonite  or  Hittite,  but  to  the  universal 
God,  the  Father  of  all,  and  she  truthfully  felt  as 


THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT  43 

she  said,  "Yes,  mother,  now  I  feel  prepared  to 
battle  to  the  death  for  my  religion." 

The  mother  kissed  her  again  and  again  before 
she  released  her.  The  cruel  words  spoken  to  her 
child  rankled  in  her  breast. 

"Here  comes  Letitia,"  and  Grace  ran  to  meet 
her  cousin,  who  came  in  with  the  spring  of  a 
gazelle. 

"Hey-day!  You  have  been  crying  again.  I 
declare  I  have  never  seen  any  one  like  you,  you 
will  exhaust  your  fountain  of  tears.  I  know  you 
have  been  talking  about  our  rebuff  at  school.  You 
should  do  as  I  do ;  no  fastidious,  scrupulous  con 
siderations  with  me.  I  fire  away  with  direct  aim, 
making  every  shot  tell,  and  they  flee  from  me  as 
from  explosive  bullets.  I  shall  bring  out  my 
mitrailleuse  next  time  and  not  give  them  even  the 
opportunity  to  retreat,"  added  Letitia,  with  an 
exultant  laugh. 

"Ah !  but  I  cannot ;  I  try  to  follow  the  Golden 
Rule,  'Do  unto  others  as  you  would  have  others 
do  unto  you.'  " 

"  'Eye  for  eye,  tooth  for  tooth/  says  the  Holy 
Book.  My  heart  swells  with  indignation  and 
anger  when  I  am  held  accountable  for  what  my 
ancestors  did,  through  Pontius  Pilate,  more  than 
eighteen  hundred  years  ago.  Is  there  any  other 
nation  under  the  sun  which  is  held  up  to  ridicule 
and  scorn  because  some  of  their  member  centuries 
back  carried  out  the  Roman  mode  of  execution 
on  a  heretic?  It  seems  to  me  if  suffering  is  to 
purify  us  we  have  been  purified." 

"We  must  not  forget,  dear  Letitia,  that  all  are 
not  unjust.  There  must  be  many  like  dear,  good 


44  THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT 

Lizzie  Raynor.  She  is  ever  at  hand  to  soothe 
ruffled  tempers  and  restore  harmony  where  there 
is  discord.  With  her  fair  hair  and  complexion, 
combined  with  her  dreamy,  violet  eyes,  she  seems 
more  an  ethereal  being  than  one  of  this  mundane 
sphere.  She  has  so  much  to  endure,  too,  from 
her  step-mother,  who  is  harsh  and  unkind  to  her. 
I  do  not  see  how  any  one  can  be  so  to  such  a 
gentle  creature.  It  appears  that  her  very  gentle 
ness  provokes  her  step-mother's  anger.  She  re 
turns  good  for  evil,  'for  Christ's  sake,'  she  says." 
"The  proverb,  'If  thine  enemy  be  hungry,  give 
him  bread  to  eat,  and  if  he  be  thirsty,  give  him 
water  to  drink,'  is  as  good  as  anything  that  can 
be  said,"  returned  Letitia,  determined  not  to  be 
outdone.  "As  for  Lizzie  Raynor,  she  is  good,  too 
good  for  this  wicked  world,"  with  a  mischievous 
glance  at  Grace.  "Though  we  have  never  had  a 
harsh  word  together,  we  do  not  harmonize  as  you 
do.  There  is  no  affinity  between  us,  and  our 
thoughts  and  feelings  are  as  diametrically  op 
posed  to  each  other  as  the  antipodes.  Bah !  let 
us  think  of  something  else.  I  am  so  glad  that  the 
examination  will  be  soon  and  that  we  are  to 
graduate,  then  for  the  salutatory,  valedictory, 
diplomas,  etc.  Oh,  then  away  with  musty  books. 
I  need  not  care  which  inhabitants  of  the  earth 
are  called  Amphiscii,  Heteroscii,  Periscii,  Antoeci 
or  Periocei;  I  am  heartily  tired  of  pouring  over 
books;  I  am  tired  of  Sister  Lucy  as  a  painting 
teacher  and  of  this  poverty  which  will  make  itself 
felt  in  spite  of  all  my  endeavors  to  the  contrary. 
It  ties  me  to  this  miserable  little  town — city  it 
wants  to  be  called — and  leaves  me  nothing  to  do 


THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT  45 

but  to  look  at  the  stupid  people,  who  are  like 
creeping  snails.  Oh,  I  long  for  parties,  music, 
flowers!  I  love  the  poetry  of  life,  not  its  slow, 
rhythmical  melodies,  but  the  dithyrambic  hymns 
of  triumphal  cars.  One  long  draught  of  the 
sweets  of  life's  cup,  then  the  car  of  Juggernaut 
may  pass  over  me." 

"Girl,  did  you  learn  that  in  the  convent?" 

"Aunt,  I  need  no  lessons  in  such  things.  You 
forget  that  I  am  nineteen  years  and  six  months 
old.  I  am  a  year  older  than  you,  Grace." 

"I  am  horrified  at  you,  Letitia.  Those  thoughts 
are  too  passionate  for  a  school-girl's  heart.  I 
look  forward  quietly  and  back  with  regret  at  the 
many  happy  years  I  have  passed  within  those 
sylvan  shades.  I  wonder  in  fear  what  the  future 
will  unfold  for  me.  I  trust  quiet  happiness  and 
a  honeysuckle  cottage."  Such  were  the  aspira 
tions  of  gentle  Grace. 

"Very  romantic,  my  dear,  had  not  bountiful 
Providence  placed  so  much  within  your  reach." 
The  words  came  out  of  the  school-girl's  mouth 
edged  with  bitterness.  "Why,  Grace,  I  have  been 
robbed  of  two  years  by  sickness  when  I  could  and 
should  have  been  at  school." 

As  straws  show  which  way  the  wind  blows,  so 
do  words,  though  spoken  under  the  disguise  of 
false  friendship,  reveal  the  innate  envy  of  the 
heart.  Plutarch  justly  remarks,  "Envy  is  always 
unjust." 

"I  am  so  glad  we  don't  board  at  the  convent. 
I  only  wish  we  did  not  always  take  this  way,  but 


46  THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT 

go  through  the  town  proper.  Do  you  know  who 
called  last  night?" 

"How  should  I  know?" 

"Mark  Anthony  Everard.  What  a  delightful 
man!  but  poor;  has  his  way  to  make  in  life.  I 
hate  climbing,  I  like  to  be  up  at  the  top  at  once." 

"Who  asked  you  to  climb,  Letitia?  Not  Mr. 
Everard,  did  he?" 

"Of  course  not.  Will  he  ask  me  the  first  night 
he  calls  to  see  me?  I  am  only  revolving  in  my 
mind  if  he  is  worth  the  struggle.  Grace,  you 
have  seen  him ;  he  is  perfect  and  rest  assured  he 
will  not  be  conquered  without  work." 

"He  is  a  splendid  young  man.  I  am  sure  I 
don't  know  what  he  will  want  in  return." 

"You  don't  need  to  know,  but  here  we  are,  with 
the  old  white-washed  fence — wall  I  like  to  call  it 
— staring  us  in  the  face.  Slam,  bang,  we  are  in," 
added  Letitia,  giving  the  door  a  vigorous  pull 
after  her. 

The  convent  or  house  where  the  nuns  resided 
was  a  large,  frame  building  with  a  wing  to  one 
side.  The  school-house  was  of  brick  and  more 
pretentious  in  appearance ;  it  had  also  a  wing. 
The  main  buildings  nearly  approached  one  an 
other  ;  large  grounds  separated  the  two  wings, 
which  extended  far  back  and  formed  the  girls' 
playground.  Two  beautiful  arbors,  one  covered 
with  the  hop  and  the  other  with  the  grape  vine, 
made  pleasant  walks  in  summer.  In  the  front 
was  a  large  garden  with  many  rare  exotics  and 
to  the  side  an  extensive  vegetable  garden. 

"Good-morning,  girls."  Letitia  gave  her  books 
a  toss  over  her  head. 


THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT  47 

"Letitia,  two  new  arrivals.  What  do  you  say 
to  that?" 

"Well,  who  are  they,  Mary  Crane?" 

"One  is  a  delicate-looking  child  nine  or  ten 
years  old  and  the  other  is  only  a  charity  child," 
snapped  in  Jennie  Fox. 

"Oh,  never  you  mind,  Jennie ;  there  they  come. 
Susie  Forge  looks  like  a  saint;  that  Ann  Miller, 
the  charity  girl,  looks  like  a  wild  one;  the  mis 
chief  lurks  in  her  eye,"  said  Mary  Crane. 

"What  a  sweet-looking,  little  thing  Susie  Forge 
is.  How  sad  she  looks." 

"She  is  in  mourning;  has  she  no  mother?" 
asked  Grace. 

"No,  but  I  must  run ;  the  bells  are  ringing  for 
prayers." 

The  girls  now  poured  into  the  large  school 
room,  where  they  always  assembled  for  prayers, 
before  going  to  the  different  classrooms. 

"Where  is  the  new  girl,  Ann  Miller?"  inquired 
Sister  Bridget,  a  stern,  forbidding-looking  nun. 
No  one  answered.  "Lizzie  Raynor,  go  look  for 
her."  Susie  Forge  was  on  her  knees  with  head 
bent,  her  lips  already  murmuring  in  devotion. 
Mary  Crane  smiled  at  the  fulfillment  of  her  pre 
diction. 

Lizzie  Raynor  after  some  search  found  the  de 
linquent  crouched  in  a  corner,  sobbing.  "What 
is  the  matter,  dear  ?  Don't  you  know  you  will  be 
punished  if  you  are  not  in  time  for  prayers? 
You  are  a  Catholic,  then  why  not  come  will- 
ingly?" 

"I  want  to  go  home." 

"This  is  your  home  now.    You  are  all  alone  in 


48  THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT 

the  world  and  you  will  be  well  cared  for  and 
educated  here." 

"And  always  be  called  the  charity  girl !  I  have 
only  been  here  a  short  while,  yet  every  girl  hates 
me  already." 

"No,  no,  I  like  you.  Come,  quick,  Sister 
Bridget  is  waiting." 

"Where  did  you  find  her,  Lizzie?"  asked  the 
nun  as  the  two  came  in." 

"In  a  corner  of  the  yard  crying  because  she  is 
called  the  'charity  girl'  and  because  no  one  loves 
her,"  replied  Lizzie  bravely. 

"The  girls  will  remember  that  whoever  makes 
such  a  remark  again  will  be  severely  punished. 
As  for  you,  Ann,  you  are  not  grateful.  Make 
yourself  lovable  and  you  will  be  loved.  You  will 
be  deprived  of  your  bread  at  three  o'clock."  Ann 
returned  a  black  look  of  defiance,  but  made  no 
answer. 

After  prayers  the  pupils  separated  and  went  to 
their  various  classrooms. 

Some  weeks  afterward  the  Angelus  bell  rang, 
the  prayer  was  said,  luncheon  was  taken  and  the 
girls  swarmed  and  scattered  over  the  large 
grounds.  "Don't  throw  anything  at  me," 
screamed  Ann  Miller,  as  she  quickly  dodged  a 
little  stick  thrown  by  one  of  the  girls. 

"There,"  said  Mary  Crane,  "she  has  been  here 
a  month  and  she  is  crosser  and  more  hateful  than 
ever.  Love  her,  indeed !" 

"Wait  till  I  get  at  you,  Mary  Crane,"  resumed 
Ann  shaking  her  fist;  "if  I  was  only  your  size." 

"Ah,  but  you  are  not." 


THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT  49 

"I  am  coming  anyway,"  and  jumping,  she  ac- 
cidently  threw  Susie  Forge  plump  on  the  grass. 

"For  shame !"  cried  all  the  girls  in  chorus. 
"Ann,  I  am  sorry  and  astonished  that  you  are  so 
rude.  Don't  you  see  poor  Susie  is  not  strong; 
she  can't  stand  much,"  said  Lizzie  Raynor. 

"Indeed,  Miss  Lizzie,  I  didn't  mean  to " 

"Hold!"  cried  Sister  Bridget,  who  was  accom 
panied  by  Sister  Benedicta.  "Let  no  one  stir  un 
til  we  have  examined  all  of  you." 

Susie  Forge  picked  up  Ann's  handkerchief 
which  had  fallen  to  the  ground  and  put  it  in  Ann's 
pocket  unobserved  by  all.  There  was  a  lull 
among  the  girls,  the  chattering  ceased.  Sister 
Benedicta  spoke: 

"Girls,  I  have  been  robbed  of  five  dollars  in 
silver,  which  lay  wrapped  in  a  piece  of  paper  in 
my  drawer.  One  piece  is  marked.  I  just  now 
went  to  bring  it  to  Mother  Therese,  when  it  was 
not  to  be  found.  Mind  you,  I  accuse  no  one, 
only  I  want  every  girl  to  turn  her  pocket  inside 
out.  You  must  not  think  harshly  of  me — I  see 
some  of  you  blushing  and  frowning — and  you 
will  not,  when  I  tell  you  that  last  month  I  missed 
various  little  things  and  I  am  determined  to  catch 
the  thief." 

Many  eyes  turned  to  the  charity  girl,  who 
stood  with  her  arms  by  her  side,  sullen  and 
threatening. 

"Come,  let  us  begin  work,"  said  Sister  Bridget. 
The  girls  commenced  turning  pockets,  some  a 
little  slowly,  as  they  contained  sundry  little  tid 
bits  taken  clandestinely  from  the  table. 

"Don't  fear,  Ellen,  you  are  forgiven  to-day  for 


50  THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT 

such  a  petty  offense,  turn  over  boldly.  Here,  lit 
tle  Susie,  though  it  is  scarcely  necessary  for  you, 
you  angel.  Of  course"^  you  have  not  got  it. 
"Here,  Miss  Ann,  hurry  up,"  said  Sister  Bene- 
dicta. 

"I  haven't  got  it,"  retorted  Ann. 

"Put  out  your  pocket.  What,  you  won't!" 
with  a  sharp  slap  Sister  Benedicta  turned  out  the 
pocket,  when  lo !  her  handkerchief  containing  a 
package  of  brown  paper  fell  to  the  ground  and 
out  of  it  rolled  ten  half  dollars,  one  piece  had  the 
mark  of  a  cross  on  it.  The  majority  of  the  girls 
simultaneously  cried  out,  "The  thief!  I  knew 
she  had  it!" 

Lizzie  Raynor  cried,  "Oh,  Ann !  how  could  you 
be  so  wicked?" 

"See,  the  defiant  child,  with  her  eyes  glittering, 
not  a  tear  in  them ;  she  is  not  sorry  for  what  she 
has  done.  But  she  shall  be  punished  until  she  is 
sorry."  Sister  Bridget  shook  her  fiercely. 

"I  can't  be  sorry  for  what  I  did  not  do.  As 
sure  as  heaven,  as  sure  as  Christ  is  above  us,  I 
didn't  do  it,"  said  the  child  in  agony. 

"Close  her  mouth,  the  little  blasphemer,"  spoke 
the  irate  Sister  Bridget. 

"I  shall  not  punish  you  now,  I  am  not  answer 
able  for  myself,  Ann,  but  you  must  feel  it  sorely. 
To  deny  it,  too,  is  doubly  wrong,"  and  Sister 
Benedicta  folded  her  arms  and  walked  away. 

"I  shall  deny  it  at  confession,  too,"  shrieked 
the  child. 

"Punish  her,  whip  her  now,"  said  Sister  Brid 
get,  as  she  followed  Sister  Benedicta. 

"No,  not  now,"  answered  she. 


THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT  51 

"Won't  you  catch  it,"  added  Jennie  Fox,  ma 
liciously. 

Ann  rolled  in  the  grass  in  her  grief.  The  girls 
all  except  Lizzie  and  Grace  left  her  to  her  dis 
grace. 

"Can't  we  beg  her  off,  Lizzie?  She  is  such  a 
child." 

"Grace,  we  must  try.  Let  us  make  haste ;  Sis 
ter  Benedicta  is  in  the  room  upstairs,  ready  to 
give  a  music  lesson  when  the  bell  rings. 

"Sister  Benedicta,"  spoke  Lizzie,  "Grace  and  I 
have  come  to  entreat  you  to  forgive  Ann.  She 
is  a  mere  child,  and  think  how  deficient  her  train 
ing  must  have  been ;  she  has  everything  to  learn." 

"Maybe  she  didn't  take  it,"  timidly  suggested 
Grace. 

"Not  take  it,  child !  the  evidence  is  overwhelm- 
ing." 

"But  a  child  without  parents,"  pleaded  Grace. 

"And  without  religious  training,  brought  up  in 
ignorance,  stupidity  and  poverty,"  added  Lizzie. 

"She  is  a  real  bad  little  girl,"  returned  Sister 
Benedicta,  still  a  tear  twinkled  in  her  eye;  "she 
runs  away  from  prayers  and  from  catechism, 
too." 

"Yes,  that  is  true,"  continued  Lizzie.  "Dear 
Sister,  you  be  the  one  to  teach  her  the  forgive 
ness  of  sin,  of  our  holy  religion  and  soften  that 
stony  little  heart." 

"Dear  children,  you  have  conquered,  I  shall  not 
touch  her.  Only  give  her  a  few  more  prayers. 
A  few  more  Aves,  that  is  all,  but  I  cannot  like  the 
child  until  I  see  a  change  in  her." 


52  THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT 

"On  my  knees,  dear  Sister,  I  thank  you,"  re 
plied  Lizzie,  kissing  her  hand. 

Grace  took  the  nun's  hand,  kissed  it  and  let  a 
tear  fall  on  it. 

Sister  Benedicta  waved  them  a  smiling  adieu ; 
when  they  were  gone  tears  moistened  her  eyes, 
just  as  those  bright,  young  girls  softened  her 
heart. 

"Here,  jump  up,  Ann,  you  are  pardoned,  no 
blows,  no  being  put  to  bed  without  supper,  only 
some  prayers  to  make  you  better.  Grace  and  I 
obtained  the  pardon  for  you.  Are  you  not  glad  ?" 
asked  Lizzie. 

"I  am  thankful  for  your  kindness,  young 
ladies,"  answered  the  child,  "but  the  blow  has 
struck  here,"  and  she  solemnly  placed  her  hand 
over  her  heart.  "I  am  bad,  I  am  stubborn,  but 
not  a  thief." 

"God  will  let  that  person  be  found  out  some 
day,"  continued  Lizzie,  more  with  a  view  to  quiet 
the  child's  passion  than  with  any  faith  in  her  as 
sertions. 

"Do  you  think  so,  too,  Miss  Grace  ?" 

"Indeed  I  do ;  now  try  to  be  good  and  if  you 
want  anything  ask  me,  I  shall  give  it  to  you." 

"You  are  our  protegee  now,  you  must  be  good 
for  our  sake,"  added  Lizzie. 

"I  don't  know  what  that  means." 

"You  are  in  a  way  under  our  care." 

"I  will  try  my  best  to  be  good,"  responded  Ann. 


THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT  53 


CHAPTER  VI. 

"Oh,  Amelia,  how  beautiful  you  are  to-day! 
You  seem  to  be  molded  into  your  black  silk ;  your 
white  chip  bonnet  becomes  you  to  perfection  and 
with  your  white  gloves  you  look  elegant.  You 
are  the  prettiest  teacher  in  the  Sunday-school," 
exclaimed  Alice  Hill,  in  a  burst  of  admiration. 

"Not  including  a  pretty  little  Presbyterian  girl 
called  Alice." 

"I  am  what  you  call  pretty,  but  you  are  grand. 
How  I  do  love  this  dear  day.  Charlie  is  such  a 
gay  teacher!" 

"And  apt  scholar,  I  should  judge.  He  follows 
your  method  very  closely.  I  love  the  day  because 
the  very  atmosphere  breathes  devotion  to  God. 
The  tired  laborer  yields  to  the  influence  of  the 
holy  calm,  the  over-tasked  clerk,  the  wearied 
seamstress,  the  merchant,  banker,  lawyer  bless 
God  for  this  day  of  sweet  repose.  I  bless  the 
name  of  God  and  feel  happy  to  think  that  so 
many  besides  me  are  enjoying  themselves.  Then, 
I  am  also  devotedly  attached  to  my  Bible  class. 
Those  young,  bright,  joyous  creatures  are  all 
eager  to  learn  the  word  of  God.  Here  comes  the 
carriage.  Sam,  you  are  too  early  for  church. 
Father  is  not  feeling  well  to-day  and  will  ride. 
My  sister  and  I  shall  walk." 

"Yes,  misses,  I'se  on  time,"  said  the  colored 
coachman,  touching  his  hat 


54  THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT 

"Everybody  is  out  to-day.  We  are  ready  now. 
Here  is  Charlie."  Alice  sprang  gayly  down  the 
steps;  Amelia  came  with  measured  tread. 

"Do  you  know,"  said  Mr.  Bennett,  "I  think  Mr. 
Everard  will  come  to  church  to-day?  He  and  I 
were  talking  about  religion — I  didn't  know  there 
was  a  Jew  in  the  world  so  liberal  minded  as  he  is 
— and  he  said  he  had  never  come  in  contact  with 
Presbyterians,  knew  nothing  of  their  doctrines 
or  ceremonials.  I  told  him  to  come  to-day  and 
hear  our  glorious  old  minister ;  that  the  sect,  and 
especially  the  people,  were  the  best,  the  very  best 
in  the  world.  That  is  just  what  I  said." 

"Oh,  what  a  boaster !"  returned  Alice,  her  fair 
face  rippling  with  laughter. 

Amelia  walked  faster  and  with  a  displeased 
look,  broke  out,  "What  an  intrusive  fellow !" 

"Let  us  convert  him  for  his  assumption." 
Again  the  face  of  Alice  beamed  with  smiles  and 
Bennett  laughed  outright. 

"It  might  not  be  well,"  returned  Amelia. 

"I  believe  with  Paul,"  continued  Alice  earnest 
ly,  "that  Jesus  is  'a  light'  for  Jew  and  Gentile." 
Amelia  shrugged  her  shoulders  and  contracted 
her  brows. 

Before  church  services  began  Mark  Everard 
walked  in  and  sat  down  in  a  pew  near  the  door. 
Mr.  Hill  coming  in  directly  after,  he  followed 
him  with  his  eyes  and  saw  the  profiles  of  Amelia 
and  Alice. 

"You  will  dine  with  us  to-day,  Charlie,"  said 
Alice  as  the  services  were  concluded. 

"I  will  do  whatever  you  bid  me.  I  am  your 
slave,"  answered  he  decidedly. 


THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT  55 

"I  don't  want  any  slaves.  At  all  events  you 
would  not  be  a  good  one.  You  are  too  dainty 
and  too  good  and  too  honest." 

"And  what  else?" 

"Nothing."  Alice  blushed  a  little.  "See  how 
long  it  takes  Amelia  to  come.  I  shall  jump  into 
the  carriage  and  wait  until  she  and  papa  come. 
You  may  follow,"  and  she  suited  the  action  to  the 
words. 

"I  won't,  won't  I  ?"  added  Bennett,  jumping  in 
after  her. 

Amelia  walked  slowly,  leaning  lightly  on  her 
father's  arm.  A  sudden  jostle  and  her  fan 
dropped  out  of  her  hand. 

"Oh,  father,  my  fan  is  broken,  I  know." 

The  word  had  scarcely  escaped  her  lips  when 
a  deep,  thrilling  voice  exclaimed,  "Here,  Madam, 
is  your  fan.  Good-day,  Mr.  Hill." 

"Thank  you,"  replied  Amelia,  in  her  soft,  melo 
dious  voice.  She  raised  her  head  and  saw  two 
deep  blue  eyes  fastened  upon  her  and  then  their 
owner  passed  on. 

"Is  your  fan  injured  at  all?  I  know  you  value 
it  because  it  is  the  gift  of  a  dear  friend,"  said 
Mr.  Hill,  as  he  seated  himself  with  the  others  in 
the  conveyance. 

"It  is  not  damaged,  father.  I  can  imagine  who 
it  was  that  picked  it  up.  It  was  Mr.  Everard, 
was  it  not  ?" 

"Yes,  dear.  I  have  met  him  quite  often,  and  as 
he  is  not  presuming,  have  frequently  spoken  to 
him.  He  has  been  retained  in  a  lawsuit  where 
many  thousands  of  dollars  are  involved,  but  his 
reward  will  depend  upon  his  success.  You  have 


'56  THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT 

heard  of  young  Miles  coming  back  to  claim  his 
father's  estate.  He  has  been  away  since  he  was 
ten  years  old  and  he  is  now  thirty-three.  The 
other  relatives  are  in  possession  of  the  property 
and  say  that  he  died  at  sea  some  five  years  ago 
and  that  they  can  prove  it.  To  identify  him  is 
the  trouble.  No  one  here  remembers  him  nor 
can  any  one  trace  the  faintest  likeness  to  the 
child  of  twenty-three  years  ago.  Everard's  fu 
ture  depends  upon  this  case  and  his  prospects  are 
very  slim,"  said  Mr.  Hill. 

"So,  Mr.  Everard  gets  the  case  because  no 
other  lawyer  would  take  it  up,  is  that  the  way  to 
understand  it?"  questioned  Amelia. 

"Exactly,  my  dear.  I  seriously  thought  of  un 
dertaking  it  myself — the  claimant  applied  to  me 
first  of  all — but  as  the  chances  are  so  slim  and  I 
am  feeling  none  too  well  of  late,  I  concluded  to 
leave  it  alone." 

"Amelia,"  said  Alice,  clapping  her  hands  glee 
fully,  "you  are  indebted  to  Mr.  Everard  now." 

"Nonsense,  Alice,  I  more  than  paid  him  with 
my  thanks.  Mr.  Bennett,  why  were  you  not 
there  to  pick  up  my  fan?" 

"Yes,  why  wasn't  I  there?"  returned  Bennett. 

"Thank  heaven,  we  are  at  home,"  said  Alice, 
blushing  deeply. 

"Now  that  luncheon  is  over,  papa,"  said  Alice 
as  all  four  of  them  seated  themselves  in  the  sit 
ting-room,  after  partaking  of  the  noonday  meal, 
"and  I  know  that  you  are  in  a  good  humor,  I  have 
a  proposition  to  make." 

"Well,  my  dear,  what  momentous  thing  can 
it  be?" 


THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT  57* 

"It  is  very  weighty,"  replied  Alice,  as  she  went 
up  to  her  father,  "but  then  blame  Charlie." 

"Oh,  Eve,  I  plead  guilty  without  trial;  if  you 
are  going  to  expel  us  from  Eden,  Mr.  Hill,  expel 
us  together,"  and  Bennett  laughed  facetiously. 

"Proceed,  Alice,"  said  her  father  with  a  merry 
twinkle  in  his  eye. 

"Papa,  Charlie  says  the  Bank  is  going  to  fore 
close  a  mortgage  on  the  Widow  Smith's  house. 
Amelia  and  I  went  to  see  her  yesterday ;  she  has 
three  little  children  and  tries  to  support  her  fam 
ily  by  sewing.  To  say  nothing  of  the  mortgage, 
which  is  only  a  thousand  dollars,  she  cannot  even 
pay  the  interest.  Now,  I  want  to  make  up  the 
thousand  dollars  by  subscription  from  our 
wealthy  people  here.  It  would  be  a  shame  for  us 
if  a  deserving  woman  lost  the  roof  over  her  head 
and  was  driven  into  the  street  with  her  helpless 
little  ones,"  and  the  cheeks  of  Alice  glowed  with 
indignation. 

"Well  spoken,  my  little  Samaritan,"  responded 
her  father,  "but  bless  my  heart,  do  you  think  you 
can  collect  one  thousand  dollars?  It  is  a  large 
sum  to  beg  for  such  a  purpose.  If  it  were  a  hun 
dred  I  should  not  say  a  word." 

"Never  mind  that,  papa,  dear,  only  give  your 
consent  that  I  may  go  around  and  beg,  yes,  beg," 
said  Alice,  standing  on  her  tiptoes,  "and  I  shall 
see  to  it  that  I  shall  get  the  money.  And,  papa, 
I  want  Amelia  to  go  with  me,  I  can't  go  alone, 
you  know." 

"To  be  sure  not.  Well,  Amelia,  what  do  you 
say  to  your  sister's  proposition,  because  I  shall 
not  check  the  prompting  of  her  dear,  kind  heart," 


58  THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT 

Alice  kissed  her  father  several  times  and  her  eyes 
were  suffused  with  tears. 

"Dear  father,  I  know  the  motives  of  Alice  are 
the  purest  and  the  best ;  but  would  it  not  be  wiser 
to  put  this  affair  into  the  hands  of  older  people?" 
answered  Amelia. 

"I  think  you  are  mistaken,  dear ;  all  hearts  will 
open  to  the  fresh,  joyous  Alice,  appealing  for  the 
widow  and  orphans.  You  have  my  blessing,  my 
child,"  and  Mr.  Hill  laid  his  hand  affectionately 
on  his  young  daughter's  head. 

"Well,  father,  you  are  right,"  returned  Amelia, 
"but  I  cannot  go  with  Alice.  I  could  not  assist 
her;  if  any  one  were  to  refuse  us,  the  denial 
would  seem  personal.  My  heart  sinks  at  the  idea. 
I  am  not  so  brave  as  Alice." 

"Indeed,  you  are  braver  and  better.  Last  sum 
mer,  Charlie — yes,  I  shall  tell — she  went  amongst 
people  afflicted  with  that  dreadful  scourge,  the 
cholera,  when  I  couldn't  for  the  world  or  the  life 
of  me,  stir  out  of  the  house.  Here  I  remained 
with  my  teeth  chattering  and  my  hands  blue, 
though  the  thermometer  ranged  from  90  to  100 
degrees,  from  nothing  but  fright."  Alice  shud 
dered  at  the  thought. 

"Yes,  Mr.  Bennett,"  said  her  father,  "Amelia  is 
a  noble  girl.  In  spite  of  prayers  and  protesta 
tions,  she  went  among  the  sick  and  dying,  saying, 
with  pale  lips,  but  unflinching  courage,  that  duty 
called  her.  What  could  I  do,  notwithstanding  my 
opposition,  but  kiss  the  darling  girl  and  invoke 
God's  blessing  on  her  head?  God  heard  an  old 
man's  prayer  and  let  her  live." 


THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT  59 

Amelia  had  risen,  and  weeping,  threw  herself 
on  her  father's  neck. 

Bennett  said  with  genuine  emotion,  "Another 
Florence  Nightingale  and  one  worthy  of  such  a 
father." 

"You  see,  my  dear  Charlie,"  said  Mr.  Hill,  well 
pleased  with  the  last  remark,  "I  can  say  like  Cor 
nelia,  'Here  are  my  jewels.'  " 

"But  we  are  only  girls,  troublesome  girls,  papa, 
and  to-morrow  morning  I  am  going  to  ask  Mrs. 
Whitman,  a  staid  little  body,  to  accompany  me 
and  put  this  town  under  contribution.  It  will  do 
me  good  to  see  some  of  the  old  stingy  fellows, 
for  I  shall  get  precious  little  from  the  women,  I 
know,  opening  their  hearts  and  their  purse 
strings.  I  am  going  to  call  on  Mr.  Berkhoff,  the 
lawyer  and  all  of  them,"  laughed  Alice. 

"Don't,  Alice,"  said  her  sister;  "from  Berkhoff 
you  will  get  nothing  but  rudeness,  perhaps." 

"He  will  stand  and  chaffer  about  five  cents,  I 
know,  but  then  I  patronize  him  and  is  not  my  cus 
tom  worth  something,  Miss  Amelia?"  quizzically 
inquired  Alice. 

"You'll  do,  Miss  Alice;  I  will  subscribe  fifty 
dollars,"  and  Bennett  took  out  his  pencil. 

"It  is  Sunday,"  quietly  remarked  Amelia. 

"Oh,  never  mind,  Amelia,  he  may  forget  by 
to-morrow.  To-day  is  the  very  best  day  for  such 
things.  Don't  the  church  deacons  pass  the  plates 
on  Sunday,  not  once,  but  two  or  three  times  ?" 

"Alice,"  said  Mr.  Hill,  laughing,  "you  are  your 
father's  daughter,  and  if  you  had  been  a  man, 
you  would  have  been  a  great  lawyer." 

"Undoubtedly;   here,   Mr.    Bennett,   put  your 


60  THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT 

name  down,"  said  Alice,  bringing  a  sheet  of 
foolscap.  ''There,  now,  it  is  a  legal  document," 
as  he  signed  his  name  and  the  amount. 

"See  here,  Alice,  I  am  going  to  have  pay  for 
this  sometime,"  said  Bennett,  in  a  low  tone,  while 
Amelia  and  her  father  were  conversing  together, 
"a  kiss,  you  know,  poor  me !  I  am  always  longing 
for  one  and  in  vain." 

"If  you  will  let  me  do  the  same  to  every  one 
who  contributes  fifty  dollars,  if  not — why,  you 
will  have  to  wait  until  papa  says  I  can  be  your 
wife,"  returned  Alice,  becoming  crimson. 

"For  heaven's  sake,  don't  drive  a  fellow  crazy, 
I  shall  wait  by  all  means." 

"I  thought  so.  Here,  papa,  sign  your  name," 
said  Alice. 

"Are  you  not  going  to  release  your  old  father?" 
said  Mr.  Hill,  taking  the  pencil  from  her  hand 
and  writing  his  name  for  fifty  dollars. 

"You  dear,  old  papa,"  exclaimed  Alice,  kissing 
her  father.  Mr.  Bennett  looked  at  her  and  made 
a  wry  face. 

"I  shall  subscribe  to-morrow,  Alice,"  said 
Amelia.  "After  dinner,  if  father  is  willing,  we 
shall  all  go  and  hear  the  evening  lecture." 

"To  be  sure,  Amelia." 

"I  shall  put  up  my  paper  and  suspend  opera 
tions  for  the  day." 

Alice  was  up  bright  and  early  in  the  morning, 
prepared  for  her  work. 

"Here,  sister,"  said  Amelia,  "let  me  sign  my 
name  for  fifty,  you  know  father  gave  it  to  me  for 
a  new  dress,  but  I  have  so  many  that  I  am  glad 
I  shall  not  have  to  make  another." 


THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT  61 

"Ah,  Amelia,  your  heart  is  pure  gold.  You 
are  all  gold !" 

"Heaven  forfend!  I  do  not  want  to  be  worse 
than  a  Midas." 

"Now,  Mrs.  Whitman,"  said  Alice  to  that  lady, 
who  expressed  her  willingness  to  accompany  her, 
"we  shall  call  upon  the  ladies  in  the  morning, 
otherwise  they  will  all  be  'out,'  and  make  the 
gentlemen  afternoon  visits,  and  we  shall  try  to 
get  the  cash,  too,  no  notes." 

At  four  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  they  had  col 
lected  nine  hundred  dollars  and  had  from  time  to 
time  deposited  the  money  in  Mr.  Hill's  office. 

"One  hundred  dollars  more !  From  where  will 
that  come?"  asked  Alice. 

"That  will  be  hard  work,  my  dear,"  replied 
Mrs.  Whitman.  "We  have  not  been  to  Feld's 
store  yet,  let  us  go  there." 

"Mrs.  Feld,  you  know,  has  generously  given 
us  fifty  dollars ;  more  than  some  of  our  very  pious 
church  members,  and  I  shall  not  call  upon  her 
husband  unless  I  am  absolutely  compelled.  I 
shall  go  to  Mr.  Everard,  he  has  not  much  I  hear, 
but  he  is  a  man  and  not  a  woman  working  for 
three  mouths  besides." 

"As  you  will,  my  dear,"  returned  meek  Mrs. 
Whitman. 

"Mr.  Everard,"  said  Alice,  after  being  shown 
into  that  gentleman's  office,  "I  trust  you  will  par 
don  us  strangers  for  calling  upon  you  for  assis 
tance,  but  feeling  that  misery  and  helplessness 
appeal  to  the  hearts  of  all,  we  come  to  ask  your 
aid  for  the  widow  and  orphans.  Read  this  paper ; 
it  will  tell  you  all." 


62  THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT 

Everard  merely  glanced  at  it  and  stood  for  a 
moment  irresolute,  not  considering  whether  he 
should  give  or  not,  but  how  much  his  nearly  de 
pleted  purse  would  allow  him. 

"Will  twenty-five  dollars  help  you  a  little, 
ladies?"  said  he,  and  he  handed  them  a  twenty- 
dollar  bill  and  a  five-dollar  gold  piece. 

"A  thousand  thanks;  we  are  so  grateful. 
Please  write  your  name  and  the  amount,"  said 
Alice,  sweetly. 

"It  is  not  necessary  to  sign  my  name,  is  it?" 

"Yes,  yes,"  returned  Alice,  "the  widow  must 
know  the  names  of  the  donors." 

"I  beg  your  pardon,  will  it  not  be  embarrassing 
for  her  to  know  the  persons  to  whom  she  is  in 
debted?" 

"She  can  pray  for  them  individually." 

"Is  that  better  than  collectively?" 

"To  be  sure,"  laughed  Alice. 

"What  a  nice  gentleman,"  said  Mrs.  Whitman, 
as  they  were  on  the  sidewalk;  "I  had  no  idea 
those  people  could  be  so  nice." 

"Now  comes  the  tug  of  war;  we  are  going  to 
BerkhofFs." 

Mr.  Berkhoff  was  at  the  farther  end  of  the 
store,  which  was  very  deep,  and  with  him  were 
Mrs.  and  Miss  Silverbaum,  regaling  themselves 
with  some  May  cherries. 

"I  wish  we  had  met  Mr.  Berkhoff  alone.  I  dis 
like  those  vulgar  people,  Mrs.  Whitman." 

"Who  are  they,  my  dear?  If  they  are  as  good- 
natured  as  their  portly  figures  would  indicate 
there  will  be  nothing  to  fear  from  them.  Oh, 
horror !"  said  Mrs.  Whitman,  as  she  saw  upon 


THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT  63 

coming  nearer  that  Alice  did  not  err  in  calling 
them  "those  vulgar  people." 

"Look  at  that  woman  stuffing  her  mouth  with 
cherries  and  the  girl  eating,  talking  and  laughing 
all  at  once." 

"How  do  you  do,  ladies?"  said  Berkhoff,  ad 
vancing.  "Have  some  cherries.  They  are  good, 
I  assure  you,"  continued  he,  as  they  declined  to 
take  any.  "They  are  heavy,  but  you  must  spit 
out  the  skins.  What  can  I  sell  you  to-day? 
Things  cheap,  cheaper  as  dirt." 

"Mr.  Berkhoff,  we  have  come  on  a  different 
business  to-day,"  and  Alice's  heart  quaked  within 
her.  Here  a  clerk  stepped  up  to  Mr.  Berkhoff, 
saying:  "Mr.  Daniels  says,  sir,  that  $2.25  is 
enough  for  the  shoes ;  here  it  is." 

"Isn't  he  charged  $2.50  for  them?" 

"Yes,  sir,  that  is  what  we  always  ask." 

"And  so  help  me  God  that's  what  we  shall  al 
ways  have.  Take  that  back ;  wait,  I  will  see  to  it 
myself,"  and  Berkhoff  turned  on  his  heel  without 
a  word  of  excuse.  He  swore  and  stormed.  In  a 
few  moments  he  came  back  with  a  smile  and  $2.50 
in  his  hand.  "Here,  John,"  said  he  to  an  errand 
boy,  at  the  same  time  writing  an  address  on  a 
paper,  "take  this,  as  you  have  nothing  to  do,  and 
collect  the  five  cents  the  woman  owes  over  two 
months.  Tell  her  it  is  a  balance  on  a  piece  of 
velvet  ribbon." 

Mrs.  Whitman  and  Alice  had  not  spoken  a 
word,  but  stood  like  statues  looking  at  each  other. 

"Now,  ladies,  for  your  business." 

"Mr.  Berkhoff,  we  have  come  for  a  little  aid 
for  a  widow  and  some  orphans."  Alice  unrolled 


64  THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT 

the  paper.  She  trembled  so  that  words  failed  her 
and  the  anticipated  seventy-five  dollars  vanished 
like  a  mirage. 

"Here,  cashier,  fifty  dollars.  Could  give  it  to 
no  better  purpose,"  said  Berkhoff  decisively  to 
Mrs.  and  Miss  Silverbaum.  "Ladies,  I  wish  I 
could  give  more.  Will  this  sum  be  enough?" 

"We  need  but  twenty-five  dollars  more,"  re 
turned  Alice,  breathless  with  delight  and  scarcely 
venturing  to  believe  her  own  eyes. 

"Ma,"  said  Rebecca  Silverbaum,  nudging  her 
mother  and  speaking  in  a  tone  she  meant  to  be 
inaudible,  but  which  was  plainly  heard,  "can't 
we  give  that?" 

"No,"  replied  her  mother,  "I  give  ten  dollars. 
Here,  ladies." 

"And  I  give  five  dollars.  I  am  a  little  orphan 
myself.  I  shall  save  it  up  another  way,  ma,  don't 
fear,"  said  Rebecca. 

"Right,  Miss  Rebecca,  you  have  the  right  kind 
of  heart  and  now  there  is  only  ten  dollars  lack 
ing,"  resumed  Mr.  Berkhoff. 

Mrs.  Whitman  looked  around  at  the  clerks  and 
said,  "May  we  ask  them?"  This  was  her  first 
appeal,  but  the  spontaneous  liberality  of  Rebecca 
and  her  mother  encouraged  her.  "I  should  rather 
not.  Poor  fellows,  they  get  none  too  much,"  said 
Berkhoff.  After  a  moment's  consideration,  he 
resumed.  "I  will  give  you  the  other  ten.  Too 
bad  to  have  you  tramping  around  town  for  that 
trifle.  You  look  tired.  Cashier,  ten  dollars." 

Alice  with  a  choking  sensation  and  a  quavering 
voice,  said,  "I  thank  you  not  once,  but  a  thousand 
times." 


THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURREN?  65 

"That's  all  right,  Miss.  I  was  poor  in  Ger 
many  and  in  New  York,  too,  I  know  how  it 
feels." 

"I  thank  you  all  three  in  the  name  of  the  widow 
and  her  children,"  returned  Alice,  her  sweet  face 
beaming  with  gratitude  and  with  the  conscious 
ness  of  performing  a  good  deed. 

"Thanks,"  echoed  Mrs.  Whitman. 

When  Alice  turned  off  the  principal  street  she 
walked  so  fast  that  she  nearly  ran.  "Oh,  child,  I 
am  quite  out  of  breath,"  said  her  friend. 

"Beg  pardon,  Mrs.  Whitman,  but  I  am  so 
happy,  I  must  give  vent  to  my  feelings  in  some 
way.  If  I  were  home,  where  I  soon  shall  be,  I 
would  sing,  chatter  and  do  all  kinds  of  extraor 
dinary  things ;  here  I  walk  fast.  Mrs.  Whitman, 
I  shall  call  for  you  to-morrow  and  we  shall  go 
together  to  Mrs.  Smith  and  bring  her  the  happy 
tidings." 

"Bring  Amelia,  don't  forget  her,  dear;  her 
feelings  are  so  refined,  I  always  feel  as  if  I  were 
in  a  purer  atmosphere  when  I  am  with  her.  Bye- 
bye." 

"Good-bye.    Many  thanks.' 

"Well,  Alice?  Successful,  I  know.  It  is  writ 
ten  on  your  face.  Father  told  me  how  very  near 
at  four  o'clock  you  were  to  the  thousand.  Hurry 
in ;  father  and  Mr.  Bennett  are  in  the  sitting-room 
waiting  for  you,"  and  Amelia  kissed  her  tenderly. 

"Darling,"  cried  her  father,  "are  you " 

"Successful,  gentlemen !"  exclaimed  Alice. 

"You  dear  girl,  I  have  been  very  uneasy.  Sun 
stroke " 


66  THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT 

"Sunstroke  in  May?  You  are  too  anxious, 
Charlie " 

"Sit  down,  let  me  fan  you."  Charlie  leaned 
over  her  chair  and  used  the  fan  vigorously. 

"Why,  Charlie,  you  raise  a  whirlwind.  Sit 
down,  I  want  to  relate  my  experiences." 

"To  be  sure  a  little  heroine. 

"Our  canary  has  twittered  and  made  plaintive 
calls  for  you  all  day,"  said  Amelia,  taking  her 
hand. 

"How  imaginative,  Amelia!"  returned  Alice, 
kissing  her.  "I  am  happy  now,  though  it  has  been 
a  hard,  a  very  hard  day  for  me,  and  only  the 
thought  that  if  I  did  not  accomplish  my  work  the 
widow  and  her  children  would  be  homeless  en 
abled  me  to  keep  up  my  courage.  I  was  aston 
ished  at  some  members  of  the  church,  the  most 
pious,  too,  who  wanted  me  to  feed  them  on  scrip 
ture,  but  then,"  with  a  smile,  "I  gave  them  scrip 
ture  with  interest  and  told  them  exactly  what 
Christ  meant,  and  that  his  pure,  simple  laws  were 
not  to  be  misunderstood.  There  was  rich,  old 
Mrs.  Henderson,  she  wanted  to  evade  giving. 
She  promised  this,  that,  everything  in  the  future. 
I  told  her  it  was  now  that  she  must  give.  I 
quoted,  'Verily  I  say  unto  you,  inasmuch  as  ye 
did  it  not  to  one  of  the  least  of  these,  ye  did  it  not 
to  me.  And  these  shall  go  away  into  everlast 
ing  punishment.'  The  'everlasting'  punishment 
brought  out  fifty  dollars.  She  groaned  as  she 
gave  me  the  money.  I  then  said  to  her,  'the 
righteous  shall  go  into  the  life  eternal.'  She 
smiled  and  looked  happy  at  her  heavenly  invest 
ment." 


THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT  67 

"For  heaven's  sake,  stop,"  said  Bennett,  roar 
ing  with  laughter.  "You  want  a  fellow  to  die  of 
convulsions !" 

"Charlie,  you  are  horrid.  But  let  me  give  you 
a  surprise.  Mr.  Everard  gave  me  twenty-five 
with  regrets,  mind  you,  that  he  could  not  give 
more.  Berkhoff  in  the  sympathy  of  his  heart 
gave  me  fifty  and  afterward  ten  more.  Mrs.  Sil- 
verbaum  and  her  daughter,  without  my  asking — 
just  from  hearing  me  appeal  to  Mr.  Berkhoff — 
gave  fifteen  dollars." 

"That  speaks  well  for  their  hearts,"  said  Mr. 
Hill. 

"And  for  their  souls,"  said  Alice.  "They  were 
all  very  gracious  to-day." 

"I  wish  you  could  have  obtained  the  money 
without  them,"  added  Amelia. 

"Amelia,  they  are  not  all  bad.  Papa,  you  must 
take  up  the  mortgage  in  your  office  at  ten  to 
morrow,  to  get  the  release  signed.  Mrs.  Whit 
man,  Amelia  and  I  shall  bring  it  to  the  widow 
to-morrow." 

The  following  day  Mrs.  Smith's  heart  was 
made  glad  by  the  presentation  of  the  release. 
"May  the  God  preserve  and  bless  you  all;  may 
you  never  know  any  care.  Thanks,  good  Mrs. 
Whitman.  They  say,  Miss  Alice,  your  kind  heart 
did  the  most  of  it ;  these  children  shall  never  go 
to  bed  without  praying  for  you."  The  tears 
streamed  down  the  widow's  cheeks.  "Do  you  be 
lieve  in  prayer,  Miss  Alice?" 

"  'The  prayers  of  the  righteous  avail  much,'  I 
value  them  especially  from  their  innocent  lips," 
answered  the  young  girl,  trembling  with  emotion. 


68  THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT 

"You  must  want  for  nothing,"  said  Amelia; 
"we  three  are  willing  and  able  to  do  much  for 
you." 

"Ladies,  angels,  I  may  say,"  returned  the 
widow  with  dignity,  "I  have  accepted  this  pres 
ent  from  you  and  the  kindness  of  the  people  at 
large  with  a  grateful  heart,  but  to  take  more, 
unless  deprived  altogether  of  health,  God  forbid. 
My  children  have  a  home  and  I  can  now  work 
with  a  light  heart.  May  God  reward  you,  I  never 
can.  This  day  shall  be  commemorated  as  a  festi 
val." 

"I  am  glad  I  acted  on  Mr.  Everard's  sugges 
tion  and  did  not,  as  I  had  first  intended,  give  her 
the  subscription  roll  with  the  names  attached," 
said  Alice  softly. 

In  this  case  it  was  difficult  to  tell  who  was  hap 
pier,  the  receiver  or  the  givers. 


THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT  69 


CHAPTER  VII. 

"Grace,  Susie  Forge  is  very  ill;  she  was  taken 
last  night  with  a  severe  hemorrhage  of  the  lungs. 
Her  friends  have  been  telegraphed  for.  I  have 
been  to  see  her  this  morning.  She  asked  me  if  I 
thought  she  was  very  sick;  I  told  her  'yes,'  but 
not  so  ill  that  she  couldn't  get  better.  The  doctor 
said  she  must  keep  quiet  and  not  talk.  Upon 
that  the  darling  child  cried,  'Where's  poor  Ann 
Miller,  I  want  to  see  her.'  I  told  her  'no,'  that 
Ann  was  too  noisy,  too  inconsiderate  to  let  her 
come  in,  but  she  only  stopped  talking  when  I 
promised  if  she  should  grow  worse  that  she 
should  see  her.  I  think  she  wishes  to  tell  Ann  to 
be  good  and  all  about  heaven,  at  least,  what  she 
thinks  about  it.  What  a  good  creature  she  is." 
Lizzie  Raynor  put  her  handkerchief  to  her  eyes. 

"Poor  darling!  I  think  Ann  is  growing  better, 
though  she  is  sullen  yet." 

"Sister  Benedicta  says  she  has  not  missed  a 
pin  since,  so  you  see  poor  Ann  appreciates  her 
kindness  and  our  intercession." 

"Once  in  a  while  she  is  demonstrative  when  I 
am  alone ;  she  covers  my  hand  with  kisses." 

"Lizzie  and  Grace,"  said  a  tall  girl  coming  up 
to  them,  "you  are  wanted  in  the  infirmary.  Go 
up  immediately." 

"I  tremble,  Lizzie.    Can  Susie  be  dying?" 


70  THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT 

"I  fear  so,"  was  the  answer,  and  the  two  girls 
ran  lightly  upstairs  to  the  sick  room. 

There  lay  Susie  with  her  head  low  and  her 
face  whiter,  if  possible,  than  the  sheets  which 
covered  her.  Sister  Benedicta,  who  was  a  good 
nurse  and  loved  the  child,  was  with  her. 

"Darling,  don't  speak,"  said  Lizzie,  moving  up 
to  her  side  and  taking  her  hand  caressingly. 
Susie  did  not  reply,  but  looked  anxiously  toward 
the  door ;  it  opened  and  in  walked  Ann,  her  eyes 
and  face  red  with  weeping.  It  was  evident  from 
her  calmness  that  she  had  been  instructed  before 
she  came  in  how  to  conduct  herself. 

"Come,  Ann,"  said  Sister  Benedicta,  "Susie 
wants  to  speak  to  you." 

Lizzie  went  to  the  foot  of  the  bed,  where  Grace 
was  standing. 

"Raise  my  head  a  little,  dear  Sister,"  spoke 
Susie  in  a  feeble  voice.  "There,  now  I  am  more 
comfortable.  What  I  am  going  to  say  is  hard, 
very  hard,  but  my  confessor  says  I  must  do  it,  if 
I  want  Christ  to  take  me.  Sister  Benedicta,  for 
give  me,  I  took  those  little  things  from  your  room. 
I  took  the  money  and  when  I  saw  you  coming  I 
put  Ann's  handkerchief,  which  had  fallen  out, 
and  the  money  into  her  pocket  at  the  same  time. 
I  knew  it  was  wrong,"  said  the  little  sinner  in  a 

pitiful  voice.  "Ann,  forgive "  the  blood 

gurgled  to  her  mouth  and  issued  from  it.  She 
closed  her  eyes,  gave  two  or  three  convulsive 
gasps  and  was  dead. 

"Susie!"  shrieked  Ann,  "why  didn't  God  take 
me?  Still,"  and  she  sank  on  her  knees,  clasped 
her  hands  together,  lifted  up  her  eyes  and  in  a 


THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT  71 

thrilling  voice,  said,  "Father,  I  thank  Thee  that 
these  people  know  I  am  not  a  thief." 

Sister  Benedicta  with  blanched  face  took  Ann 
up  in  her  arms  and  said,  "Ann,  I  shall  have  to 
ask  your  forgiveness.  The  evidence  was  so  plain 
and  strong,  you  know,  who  could  doubt  it?  I 
shall  always  love  you  now  because  you  are  truth 
ful." 

Grace  and  Lizzie  came  and  covered  her  with 
kisses ;  for  the  moment  the  dead  was  forgotten. 

"I  shall  have  to  cry  again.  I  am  not  used  to  so 
much  kindness,"  and  Ann  went  in  the  corner,  sat 
down  and  wept  to  her  heart's  content. 

They  all  three  bent  over  the  dead  child.  "What 
could  have  induced  her  to  do  those  dreadful 
things?"  asked  Grace. 

"God  only  knows.  Her  meek  and  loving  ways 
won  my  heart.  Grace,  when  you  even  mentioned 
that  Ann  might  not  have  taken  the  money  I  felt 
angry  at  you.  Poor  Susie,  to  die  without  her 
father  or  relatives,  with  that  trouble  on  her  mind ; 
it  must  have  been  terrible !  I  knew  when  she 
first  came  here  she  was  a  fragile  flower  and  not 
long  for  this  world.  Poor  creature,"  and  Sister 
Benedicta  imprinted  a  kiss  on  her  cold  forehead. 

Two  days  after  Susie's  funeral  as  the  morning 
prayers  were  over,  Sister  Benedicta  came  in  and 
said,  "Sister  Bridget,  I  wish  to  speak  a  few  words 
to  the  girls  assembled  here.  Ann  Miller,  stand 
up.  I  suppose  it  is  known  to  all  of  you  that  Ann 
did  not  steal  anything  from  me.  Girls,  Ann  is  an 
honest,  truthful  girl,  greatly  wronged,  though 
unintentionally  by  me.  I  will  not  say  who  did 
the  wicked  acts,  though  all'  in  this  room  are  so  far 


72  THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT 

free  from  the  execrable  vice  of  stealing.  If  any 
of  your  day-scholars  have  mentioned  this  affair 
at  home  I  wish  you  would  vindicate  Ann's  char 
acter.  I  shall  vouch  for  it."  They  all  understood 
and  appreciated  Sister  Benedicta's  delicacy  in  not 
accusing  the  dead,  for  Grace  and  Lizzie  had  not 
been  long  in  spreading  the  truth. 

"Sister  Benedicta,  Sister  Bridget,  may  we  kiss 
her?"  cried  many  of  the  girls. 

"No,  no,"  laughed  Sister  Benedicta,  "you 
would  smother  her,  there  are  too  many  of  you. 
But  any  girl  who  has  any  little  token  may,  after 
school  hours,  give  it  to  her.  I  hope,  that  as  she 
has  heretofore  been  shunned  by  you,  so  she  will 
now  be  loved.  The  Mother  of  our  community  is 
much  pleased  with  my  account  of  Ann  and  she 
will  receive  special  favors. 

The  girls  clapped  their  hands  in  gladness  and 
Jennie  Fox,  who  was  her  most  bitter  and  spiteful 
enemy  before,  now  clapped  the  loudest.  The 
heroine  of  the  hour  cried  softly  to  herself. 


THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT  73 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

Knowledge  is  light;  it  is,  when  properly  used, 
both  a  blessing  and  a  benefit.  It  breaks  the  chains 
of  both  mental  and  physical  slavery,  facilitates 
the  execution  of  labor,  alleviates  pain,  invents, 
discovers  and  creates  the  beautiful  in  art.  The 
march  of  intellect  dissipates  prejudice  and  re 
moves  all  obstacles  to  the  goal  of  its  high  destiny 
• — the  emancipation  and  universal  brotherhood  of 
man.  When  the  gold  of  man's  opinion  is  refined 
from  the  dross  and  peace  on  earth  established, 
the  mission  of  knowledge  will  be  accomplished 
and  the  greatest  earthly  good  will  be  attained. 

"Grace,  am  I  thin?"  asked  Maud  Lee,  a  girl 
who  might  safely  be  marked  down  for  one  hun 
dred  and  forty  pounds  avoirdupois. 

"No,  indeed  you  are  not.  I  suppose  you  study 
very  hard.  I  must  look  miserable,  mamma  says 
I  do." 

"And  I,"  broke  in  Letitia  with  a  doleful  look, 
"I  am  'worn  to  a  shadow,'  all  for  this  examina 
tion.  It's  a  consolation  for  us,  though,  and  for 
our  future  husbands,  too,  hem,  hem,  that  we  have 
poured  over  the  arguments  of  philosophers  as  to 
whether  light  is  an  emanation  or  an  undulation, 
and  that  we  know  not  which  to  accept  the  wave 
or  corpuscular  theory." 

"I  think  every  one  should  take  the  corpuscular 


74 

for  that  must  make  muscle,"  added  Maud,  with  a 
laugh. 

"No  doubt  you  think  so.  You  give  evidence 
of  the  latter,"  said  Julia  Radcliffe. 

"Never  mind,  Miss  Julia,"  spoke  Bessie  Hait, 
a  girl  with  bright  hair  known  by  the  name  of  red, 
"I  will  wager  anything  that  of  all  the  girls  stand 
ing  here  you  will  be  married  the  first.  Letitia 
may  be  next,  as  for  you,  Grace,  though  you 
oughtn't  to  marry  before  the  others,  as  you  are 
the  youngest  of  the  graduates  in  prospective,  I 
think  you  will  be  an  old  maid ;  you  are  so  quiet. 
Have  you  any  lovers,  Grace  ?" 

"Certainly  not.    I  am  going  to  school  yet." 

"What  difference  does  that  make?  My  par 
ents  were  wise  to  lock  me  up  in  the  convent,  but 
I  see  a  handsome  fellow  once  in  a  while.  Sister 
Benedicta  took  me  with  her  to  buy  white  swiss 
for  my  graduation  dress.  I  passed  a  whole  row 
of  smiling  clerks  before  we  came  where  the  swiss 
was.  The  man  who  waited  on  us  was  a  hand 
some  fellow.  Sister  Benedicta  said,  pointing  to 
a  piece,  'Take  this,  this  is  what  you  want,'  but  I 
would  not — I  was  not  to  be  suited  so  easily.  'It 
is  too  coarse,'  I  said.  'Look  at  it  again,'  said  she, 
then  I  raised  my  head  and  laughed  or  rather 
smiled  over  her  head.  Mercy!  didn't  that  man 
bring  down  swiss,  loads  of  it.  Sister  Benedicta 
became  confused,  told  me  I  was  too  fastidious  in 
my  taste,  and  directed  her  attention  to  some  other 
purchase  she  had  to  make.  That  was  just  what 
I  wanted;  then  the  clerk  and  I  talked  about  the 
swiss,  we  examined  the  swiss  and  I  bought  the 
swiss.  Holy  Mother,  save  us!"  said  the  girl, 


THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT  75 

changing  her  jocular  tone,  "here  comes  Sister 
Bridget.  She  would  pitch  into  me  like  a  tigress 
if  she  knew  what  I  just  told  you.  Sister  Bene- 
dicta  has  more  heart." 

"What  is  the  matter  with  you,  Bessie?  Your 
face  is  very  red.  It  is  too  warm  out  here  for 
you  girls,"  said  Sister  Bridget. 

"I  have  been  trying  to  refresh  my  mind  by 
talking  about  the  distances  and  magnitude  of  the 
heavenly  bodies,  the  diurnal  and  nocturnal  phe 
nomena  when  Mercury  and  Venus  enter  into  an 
inferior  and  superior  conjunction." 

"Stop,  Bessie,  this  very  moment.  I  know  that 
in  books  you  know  everything  from  Alpha  to 
Omega,  but  do  you  know  who  took  three  peaches 
from  the  refectory?" 

"Sister  Bridget,  I  am  sure  you  can't  mean  me !" 

"Indeed,  I  do,  then,  Bessie.  In  all  the  years 
you  have  been  here  you  have  not  been  cured  of 
one  great  fault,  that  is  telling  untruths.  If  it 
were  not  a  few  days  before  the  examination  I 
should  punish  you  for  a  month.  Look  out, 
though,  I  have  my  eye  on  you.  Be  sure,  when 
you  go  to  confession,  to  tell  that  you  told  another 
story,"  and  away  stalked  Sister  Bridget. 

"That  horrid  thing!"  exclaimed  Bessie  as  soon 
as  the  Sister  was  beyond  hearing.  "I  know  she 
became  a  nun  because  she  was  an  old  maid,  and 
she  don't  like  to  see  young  faces.  Hateful  old 
body!" 

The  bell  rang  for  lessons  and  the  girls  made 
haste  to  reach  the  schoolroom.  "What  a  wicked 
girl  that  Bessie  is,"  said  Grace  to  Letitia  as  they 
went  in. 


76  THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT 

"Everybody,  you  know,  can't  be  such  a  para 
gon  of  goodness  as  you  are.  Come  on,  dear." 
These  words  were  spoken  with  affected  sincerity. 

The  eventful  day  at  length  arrived.  The  ex 
amination  of  the  scholars  of  the  convent  was  con 
ducted  by  the  Fathers  of  the  College.  Their 
method  was  interesting  both  to  pupils  and  to  the 
audiences,  which  annually  assembled  on  these 
occasions.  These  exercises  occurring  in  the  lat 
ter  end  of  June,  the  heat  was  always  intense  and 
dresses  of  thin  material  were  absolutely  neces 
sary.  They  were  all  made  high  in  the  neck  and 
with  long  sleeves.  Numberless  were  the  injunc 
tions  "to  buy  plenty  of  stuff  to  cover  bones,"  so 
the  eyes  of  monster  man  could  not  rest  on  lovely 
shoulders. 

"Mary  Lile,"  said  Sister  Bridget,  sternly,  as 
she  glanced  over  the  assembled  girls,  "come  to 
me."  The  girl  obeyed.  "Did  I  not  tell  you  time 
and  time  again  to  have  your  dress  made  high  in 
the  neck?" 

"Why,  Sister,  it  is  made  nearly  up  to  my  chin." 

"Chin,  did  you  say?"  answered  the  now  exas 
perated  nun,  "with  your  neck  uncovered  almost 
to  your  shoulders ;  here,  give  me  your  handker 
chief.  Put  this  around  your  neck." 

"I  shall  smother,"  said  the  girl,  with  tears  in 
her  eyes  and  with  difficulty  repressing  a  sob. 

"No,  you  won't.    Put  it  on  and  take  your  seat." 

Mary  was  so  overcome  at  the  idea  of  a  hand 
kerchief  around  her  throat  in  such  weather  and 
on  such  a  day  that  she  did  not  stir. 

Sister  Bridget  raised  her  hand  to  put  the  hand- 


77 

kerchief  on  herself  and  Sister  Benedicta,  who 
was  standing  near,  kindly  came  to  her  relief. 

"Mary  Lile,  no  wonder  this  dress  looks  low  in 
the  neck  with  that  broad  lace  all  turned  down  in 
place  of  up.  I  know  your  mother  meant  it  should 
go  this  way,"  and  she  pressed  the  lace  so  it  re 
mained  standing. 

"Now,  Sister  Bridget,  is  it  not  all  right?" 

Sister  Bridget,  not  liking  tearful  faces  on  this 
important  day  and  admiring  the  ready  tact  of  the 
Sister,  allowed  herself  to  be  propitiated. 

"Yes,  it  will  answer,  Mary ;  thank  Sister  Bene 
dicta  for  her  quickness  and  go  to  your  seat." 

"Thank  you,"  said  Mary,  but  her  eyes  spoke 
more. 

"Sit  down  and  do  not  be  so  careless  next  time," 
returned  Sister  Benedicta. 

"See,"  said  Letitia  in  a  low  tone,  nudging 
Grace,  "there  is  the  handsome  lawyer,  Mark 
Everard,  with  a  beautiful  bouquet  in  his  hand. 
Think  it  is  for  me.  See  the  Hills  coming  in  with 
their  grand  airs.  That  oldest  girl  walks  as  if 
the  boards  were  not  good  enough  for  her. 
Heavens !  see  the  Silverbaums,  the  old  lady  with 
her  broad,  fat  hands  full  of  rings  and  no  gloves 
on.  Too  warm,  I  suppose.  Look  at  her  bringing 
out  her  fan.  She  will  make  it  go  all  the  time 
now  like  a  windmill.  Look  at  Rebecca  laughing. 
Aha !  I  know  the  reason,  there  comes  Berkhoff. 
Do  you  see  him?" 

"No,  I  don't." 

"You  never  see  anything.  Turn  your  head  this 
way.  We  have  the  advantage  this  year,  we  are 
graduates,  we  sit  on  the  front  bench." 


78  THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT 

"How  you  do  make  remarks  about  everybody, 
Letitia!"' 

"That  is  just  what  I  am  here  for,  eyes  to  see, 
tongue  to  talk,"  answered  Letitia,  putting  her 
hands  to  those  organs. 

"Berkhoff  is  sitting  down  by  Rebecca.  I  wish 
some  one  else  had  taken  that  seat.  How  that  girl 
is  after  that  man.  It  is  disgusting!" 

"He  came  after  her,"  Grace  ventured  to  re 
mark. 

"You  think  so !  I  thought  maybe  he  came  for 
the  chemical  experiments,  to  see  us  analyze  flow 
ers,  hear  the  essays  read,  examine  the  paintings, 
criticize  the  music,  et  cetera." 

"Oh,  Letitia,"  returned  Grace,  "don't  talk  so 
mockingly.  I  think  he  is  able  to  judge  music 
He  expresses  himself  well  about  it.  Not  in  good 
language,  but  as  if  he  understood  it." 

"He  understands  nothing  but  dollars  and  cents ! 
He  has  ruined  the  trade  since  he  came  here  and 
I  hope  he  will  eventually  ruin  himself. '* 

"How  uncharitable!  There  come  mamma  and 
papa,  their  dear  hands  full  of  flowers." 

"Well,  you  need  not  cry  about  them,  Grace. 
There  come  my  father  and  mother  laden  with 
flowers.  Did  you  ever !  If  they  have  not  brought 
three  of  the  children  with  them.  Mother  is  so 
foolish.  I  begged  her  this  morning  not  to  bring 
one  with  her  and  just  see  her  in  this  heat." 

"Aunt  is  growing  so  stout.  She  must  feel  the 
heat  so  much  the  more." 

"It  is  better  than  being  too  thin,"  retorted  Le 
titia,  who  was  always  angry  when  any  one  but 


THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT  79 

herself  alluded  to  her  mother's  growing  corpu 
lency.  "Your  mother  looks  so  haggard." 

"I  am  afraid  poor  mamma  is  not  very  well. 
Poor,  dear  mamma,"  said  Grace,  and  the  tears 
sprang  to  her  eyes. 

"No  tears  now ;  here  are  the  Fathers  with  their 
long  coats ;  hope  they  won't  have  long  questions. 
Who  is  that  rushing  up  to  the  Hills  all  smiles.  Is 
it  Charlie  Bennett?" 

"Be  still.  Don't  you  see  Sister  Bridget  look 
ing  this  way?  How  nervous  I  am." 

Lizzie  Raynor,  Julia  Radcliffe,  Letitia,  Grace 
and  some  half  a  dozen  girls  from  the  Sunny 
South  were  the  graduates  of  the  year.  The  or 
deal  came  and  had  to  pass  as  do  other  eventful 
things  of  life.  The  exercises  of  the  day  closed 
with  music,  which  was  liberally  interspersed  be 
tween  the  oral  examination,  the  reading  of  es 
says,  the  awarding  of  diplomas  and  the  distribu 
tion  of  prizes. 

Grace  acquitted  herself  with  more  than  ordi 
nary  credit,  notwithstanding  her  nervousness,  and 
received  the  customary  reward  of  merit  from  the 
nuns  and  testimonials  from  friends  in  the  shape 
of  innumerable  bouquets  and  baskets  of  flowers. 

The  valedictory  address  read  by  Lizzie  Raynor 
sympathetically  affected  the  audience  as  usual  ; 
many  bright,  young  faces  were  wet  with  tears 
and  older  eyes  were  dim,  too.  Grace  was  warmly 
attached  to  the  teachers  and  to  many  of  the 
scholars.  To  her  it  was  a  parting  from  friends, 
and  many  happy  but  now  painful  reminiscences 
passed  through  her  mind  as  she  bid  adieu  to  the 
place  with  its  associations  forever.  Tears  invol- 


So  THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT 

untarily  rolled  down  her  cheeks  and  finally  she 
put  her  handkerchief  to  her  face  and  wept  unre 
strainedly. 

"What  are  you  crying  for?  It  is  all  over  now, 
the  people  are  going  home.  Let  me  see  your 
flowers.  I  declare,  Mark  Everard's  card  on  this 
bouquet  of  yours.  If  he  is  handsome  he  doesn't 
know  how  to  select  flowers,"  said  Letitia,  with  a 
toss  of  her  head. 

"I  must  run  and  kiss  mamma  before  she  goes 
home.  I  am  going  to  say  good-bye  to  all  before 
I  go.  Here,  mamma  kiss  me  before  you  go,"  and 
Grace  threw  her  arms  around  her  mother's  neck. 

"Grace,  dear,"  returned  her  mother  after  fond 
ly  kissing  her,  "don't  you  see  Mr.  Everard  ?" 

"Excuse  me,  sir,"  said  Grace ;  "I  am  a  little  ex 
cited  I  believe.  I  thank  you  for  your  pretty 
bouquet.  How  did  you  like  the  examination?" 

"I  was  delighted  and  was  especially  pleased  to 
see  two  Jewish  girls  among  the  graduates." 

"Oh,  Mr.  Everard,"  asked  Grace,  impulsively, 
"if  you  did  not  know  we  were  Jews  could  you 
read  it  in  our  faces?  You  look  like  a  Christian." 

"What  a  foolish  question,  Grace,"  said  her 
mother. 

"Well,  I  declare,"  laughed  Everard,  "to  tell  you 
the  truth  I  cannot  read  it  in  your  face,  but  your 
cousin,  Miss  Rheinberg,  notwithstanding  her 
beauty,  has  the  type  in  the  mannerisms  of  our 
race." 

"It  should  not  be  so  as  she  is  born  in  this 
country,"  said  Mrs.  Feld. 

"I  believe,"  returned  Mr.  Everard,  "that  the 
ebullition  of  emotion  and  sentiment  given  expres- 


THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT  8i 

sion  in  violent  gestures  and  extravagant  demon 
strations  have  caused  Judaism  to  be  considered 
less  a  religion  of  ritualism  and  truisms  than  one 
of  characteristics,  which  will  take  centuries  to 
eliminate.  But  here  come  the  Hills,"  and  he  took 
off  his  hat  and  bowed  deeply.  Mr.  Hill,  Alice  and 
Bennett  returned  it.  Amelia,  not  having  been  in 
troduced  to  him,  passed  coldly  on. 

Alice  also  bowed  to  Mrs.  Feld  and  Grace. 

"What  a  charming  girl  that  Miss  Alice  Hill  is," 
said  Grace. 

"Yes,  a  nice,  pretty  girl ;  but  the  elder  one " 

Mark  Everard  did  not  conclude  the  sentence. 

"Oh,"  said  Mrs.  Feld,  "she  is  cold  and  proud, 
though  she  did  nurse  cholera  patients  last  year. 
She  does  such  things  for  religion,  I  think,  and 
would  walk  under  that  duty  right  into  the  fire. 
No  heart ;  never  comes  near  Jews." 

"Is  that  possible?"  murmured  Everard;  "no 
heart,  no  heart!" 

Grace,  after  bidding  Mr.  Everard  good-bye 
and  kissing  her  mother,  went  to  make  her  final 
adieus  to  the  girls. 

"Well,  Grace,  you  kissed  your  mother  as  if  you 
were  going  on  a  voyage.  My  mother  left  with 
the  children  a  little  while  ago ;  she  could  not  wait 
any  longer  for  Aunt  Ruth.  I  think  I  saw  Mr. 
Everard  standing  by  your  mother  as  you  left 
them  just  now.  What  did  he  say?"  questioned 
Letitia. 

"He  said  you  were  beautiful." 

"A  nice  manner  he  has  of  expressing  things. 
He  is  mean ;  why  didn't  he  send  me  flowers  ?" 


8a  THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT 

"You  know  you  are  a  gorgeous  flower  your 
self." 

Mr.  Everard  had  brought  the  flowers  because 
he  thought  it  incumbent  upon  him  to  bring  some 
and  had  given  them  to  the  person  whose  face 
and  manner  pleased  him  best. 

"Look  over  yonder  at  that  group  of  girls 
laughing  and  crying  together.  I  warrant  you 
they  are  promising  to  write  to  one  another  every 
week  without  having  any  thought  of  doing  any 
thing  of  the  kind.  Deceitful  things.  Here  comes 
Lizzie.  I  have  been  moralizing  on  the  hollow- 
ness " 

"Of  the  world?"  interrupted  Lizzie. 

"No,  of  girls  like  us,"  continued  Letitia,  laugh 
ing  dryly  and  walking  off. 

"Don't  mind  her,  Lizzie." 

Meek  Lizzie  folded  her  hands,  saying  in  her 
sweet,  pious  way,  "Let  us  talk  of  our  future." 

Her  own  future  was  to  her  a  placid  lake.  She 
had  no  fears ;  she  lived  in  a  faith  of  her  own  and 
had  marked  out  her  destiny. 

"Don't  cry,"  said  Grace,  as  Lizzie's  eyes  grew 
dim  with  tears.  "I  trust  many  happy  days  are 
in  store  for  you?  I  detest  your  step-mother." 
She  gave  her  head  an  emphatic  toss,  which  sent 
her  long  golden  curls  flying  around  her. 

"I  weep  not  for  myself,  for  I  am  a  child  of  the 
Virgin  and  in  her  holy  keeping,  but  you,  dear 
friend,  are  leaving  us  all  now  without  having 
professed  the  true  faith,  and  know  not  the  snares 
set  in  the  world  for  the  weak  and  unwary.  Give 
me  hope  before  you  leave  me  here,"  and  Lizzie 
looked  on  her  tenderly. 


THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT  83 

"Why,  you  talk  as  if  you  were  about  to  take  the 
veil,"  replied  Grace,  and  a  slight  tremor  passed 
over  her  frame  as  she  looked  up  to  her  com 
panion,  who  was  several  years  her  senior. 

"Yes,  I  have  decided  to  be  one  of  the  great 
band  of  women  entirely  devoted  to  God." 

Often  after  witnessing  tempestuous  scenes  at 
home,  Grace  had  come  to  school  and  seen  those 
calm,  passionless,  contented  faces  of  the  nuns ; 
then  would  those  shady  bowers  and  quiet  retreats 
seem  to  say,  "Enter,  weary  maiden,  and  find 
rest,"  but  almost  simultaneously  with  the  whis 
perings  would  a  dark  shadow  thrust  itself  before 
her  and  utter,  "Forbear,  peace  here  thou  canst 
not  find."  She  would  then  infold  herself  in 
her  own  religion,  shake  off  the  gloom,  and 
say,  "Never,  never."  But  at  this  moment, 
though  sad  at  parting,  joyous  and  girlish  visions 
of  happiness  floated  through  her  mind,  and  at  her 
friend's  answer,  she  shuddered  at  the  idea  of  im 
muring  herself  in  convent  walls  and  looked 
around  with  nervous  fear,  as  if  the  place  were  a 
living  tomb,  blotting  out  those  pictures  which  she 
had  been  drawing  a  moment  before  with  such 
brilliant  colors. 

"Come,  join  hands  in  the  good  work,"  said  Liz 
zie,  earnestly. 

"Live  here  forever!  never  come  out?    Never!" 

"Don't  say  that.  I  intend  to  be  very  happy 
here." 

"You  may  be.  Even  if  I  wanted  to  come  here, 
which  I  do  not,  I  could  not.  The  distance  be 
tween  our  religions  is  too  great.  The  way  is  not 
dark  that  I  am  now  following." 


§4  THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT 

"Grace,  I  believe  you  know  very  little  about 
your  religion,  having  been  taught  little  and  see 
ing  less ;  so  you  don't  very  well  know  what  it  is." 

"The  little  I  know  gives  me  light  and  I  always 
follow  that." 

Sister  Marguerite  now  joined  the  two  and  the 
word  about  "light,"  spoken  by  Grace,  fell  upon 
her  ear  and  she  remarked,  "May  the  true  celestial 
light  and  not  a  false  one  dissipate  the  darkness 
of  your  mind.  When  that  time  comes,  which 
God  grant  may  be  soon,  come  to  us.  We  shall 
willingly  guide  you  to  happiness.  Think  not  then 
of  your  past  sins  for  they  shall  be  remitted  when 
the  consecrated  oil  shall  anoint  your  head  and  the 
holy  water  touch  you  with  the  symbol  of  the 
cross." 


THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT  85 


CHAPTER  IX. 

"Congratulate  you,  Berkhoff,  I  hear  you  are 
engaged,"  said  Everard,  sauntering  into  the  mer 
chant's  office. 

"Thank  you.  Isn't  my  Rebecca  a  grand  girl, 
good,  pretty,  strong  and  a  heart  as  large  as  my 
iron  safe,  but  different  metal.  It  is  like  what  is 
inside  of  it— gold,"  and  Berkhoff 's  eyes  fairly 
danced  with  joy. 

"I  think  you  have  chosen  well  and  that  she  will 
make  a  good  wife." 

"You  may  depend  upon  it  she  will.  You  had 
better  follow  me;  there's  a  nice  little  girl  just 
come  out  of  school,  Grace  Feld.  Just  the  girl  for 
you — educated  and  soft  and  good." 

"You  are  too  kind,  Berkhoff.  I  don't  think  of 
marrying  yet.  You  are  a  prosperous  business 
man;  you  are  able  to  support  a  wife." 

"Do  you  know,  Everard,  I  knew  a  man  in  Jef 
ferson  City  who  told  me  a  story,  that  when  he 
was  living  in  this  place  a  boy  ran  away  and  that 
he  met  him  (a  man)  years  afterward  and  recog 
nized  him  as  Niles  by  a  mark  on  the  shoulders  as 
lie  was  undressing  in  the  room  they  had  to 
gether." 

"Great  heavens,  a  clew  to  my  case!" 

"I  thought  of  it  last  night.  It  mixed  in  with 
my  pleasure;  now  you  make  the  best  of  it  and  get 
engaged,  too," 


86  THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT 

"I  beg  you,  man,  not  to  mention  a  word  of 
what  you  told  me  just  now;  the  opposing  counsel 
might  bribe  him,  spirit  him  away.  Niles  and  I 
are  both  poor  and  can  do  nothing  but  promise.  If 
I  can  only  secure  this  witness  my  future  is  made. 
I  thank  you,  Berkhoff,  I  thank  you ;  if  ever  I  can 
do  you  a  favor  rely  upon  me  it  shall  be  done." 

"I  am  all  right  now ;  don't  know  nothing. 
Now,  you  see,  I  don't  drink,  don't  gamble — Ever- 
ard  smiled — you  are  thinking  of  those  little  poker 
games  at  Mrs.  Silverbaum's ;  they  don't  amount 
to  anything.  But  Feld  is  what  I  call  a  gambler. 
He  don't  drink  so  much  any  more,  but  he  loses 
heavily  at  the  gaming  table.  He  must  be  a  bad 
man  so  to  forget  his  wife  and  child,  such  holy 
trusts. 

"You  are  right,  Berkhoff,  but  give  me  more 
particulars  about  my  man.  I  shall  telegraph  im 
mediately  and  if  I  ascertain  that  any  one  answer 
ing  your  description  is  there  I  shall  be  off  for 
Jefferson  City.  Keep  mum ;  not  a  word  to  a  soul, 
not  even  to  Miss  Rebecca.  She  is  too  good,  I 
know,  to  say  a  word,  but  she  has  a  mother — 
your  mother-in-law  elect!" 

"Mrs.  Silverbaum  is  a  good  soul.  I  won't  men 
tion  it  to  Rebecca ;  we  will  talk  about  other  things. 
Ha!  ha!  love  is  a  mighty  good  thing,  a  mighty 
fine  thing;  go  try  it." 

"See,  Rebecca,  what  I  have  brought  for  you?" 
said  Berkhoff,  as  he  entered  Mrs.  Silverbaum's 
house  in  the  evening. 

"Oh,  my,  what  a  ring!  It  is  splendid.  Did 
you  buy  it  here?" 


THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT  87 

"No,  indeed,  my  dear,  I  bought  it  in  St.  Louis, 
and  when  we  are  married  we  will  take  a  trip 
there  and  see  everything  that  is  worth  seeing. 
We  will  have  a  lovely  time." 

"Oh,"  said  Mrs.  Silverbaum,  putting  her  hand 
kerchief  to  her  eyes,  "it  makes  me  cry  to  think, 
Rebecca,  how  happy  your  father  was  when  he 
put  the  ring  on  my  finger  and  said,  'you  are  more 
to  me  than  gold  or  silver.'  " 

"Gold  and  silver,  why,  what  is  that  in  compari 
son  to  a  true  heart?  I  hate  sordid  people." 

"Rebecca,  you  are  a  jewel,"  said  Berkhoff  in 
delight. 

"You  are  poetical.    You  don't  know  me  yet." 

"No,  indeed,  you  don't  know  that  child,  she  has 
so  much  heart,  all  filled  with  love,  wouldn't  ex 
change  you  for  a  gold  mine,"  returned  Mrs.  Sil 
verbaum. 

"You  don't  need  to  tell  me  nothing  about  her. 
I  know  her  better  than  anybody.  If  I  was  a 
millionaire  I  would  have  no  one  else  but  you, 
Rebecca,  and  I  know  if  I  was  as  poor  as  Job's 
turkey  you  would  have  rne,  wouldn't  you?"  and 
he  looked  pleadingly  into  her  eyes. 

Rebecca  slightly  paled,  but  answered  unhesi 
tatingly,  "without  a  doubt,  Mr.  Berkhoff." 

"Call  me  Isaac,  don't  mister  me." 

"I  don't  like  that  name,  I  prefer  to  call  you 
Berkhoff." 

"Just  as  you  like,  dear,  but  as  it  is  such  a  pleas 
ant  evening,  supposing  we  take  a  walk  and  get 
some  ice-cream." 

There  was  a  pause;  Rebecca  looked  at  her 
mother  and  her  mother  looked  at  Rebecca. 


88  THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT 

"Supposing  your  mother  comes  along,  too,  my 
girl,"  added  Berkhoff,  observing  mother  and 
daughter. 

"We  shall  be  ready  this  instant.  I  will  bring 
your  hat,  ma,  I  can  run  quicker  than  you  can," 
and  Rebecca  flew  from  the  room. 

"A  good  girl,  Mr.  Berkhoff.  You  know  the 
saying,  'A  good  daughter,  a  good  wife.'  " 

"Very  true,  my  dear  woman,  very  true,"  said 
Berkhoff,  consoling  himself  with  the  reflection. 

"Ready,  Berkhoff,"  said  Rebecca,  blushing  as 
she  came  in. 

"Come,  then,  Rebecca,  take  my  arm."  He 
scratched  his  head  with  his  disengaged  hand  and 
then  offered  Mrs.  Silverbaum  his  other  arm. 

Rebecca  murmured,  "How  soft  the  air;  how 
bright  the  stars!" 

"The  stars  are  pointing  out  our  future.  Here 
we  are,  come  in.  They  have  the  best  ice-cream 
in  town ;  oysters,  anything  you  want." 

"It  is  too  warm  for  anything  but  ice-cream  and 
pickles,"  said  Rebecca. 

"Be  careful,"  returned  her  mother,  "or  you 
will  take  the  cholera." 

"Rebecca,  for  my  sake,  be  careful/' 

"Never  fear,  Berkhoff.  Here  come  the  Hills 
and  that  inseparable  Bennett.  I  wonder  if  he  is 
engaged  to  that  second  Miss  Hill.  Going  with 
her  long  enough,  I  should  think.  See,  she  is 
bowing  to  us.  Make  a  nice  bow,  Berkhoff.  You 
are  a  little  awkward.  I  do  believe  that  elder 
girl,  Amelia,  has  never  bowed  or  spoken  a  word 
to  one  of  the  Jews  here,"  said  Rebecca. 

"She  has  to  me,"  answered  Berkhoff. 


THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT  89 

/ 

"In  business,  in  the  store,  she  speaks,  no  doubt, 
but  I  will  warrant  she  never  even  comes  into  the 
store  if  she  can  avoid  it.  Socially  she  won't  mix 
with  us.  Thinks  us  below  her,"  continued  Re 
becca,  eating  pickles. 

The  Hills  and  Bennett  sat  at  a  different  table 
right  across  from  the  Silverbaums  and  Berkhoff. 
They  all  ordered  ice-cream.  "I  don't  like  sitting 
at  this  table  where  those  people  can  stare  me  in 
the  face,"  said  Amelia. 

"We  could  not  help  it,  the  other  tables  are 
filled,"  replied  her  father. 

"Don't  alarm  yourself,  Miss  Amelia;  'those' 
persons  are  very  much  interested  in  themselves. 
Berkhoff  and  Miss  Silverbaum  are  engaged,  you 
know,  so  they  will  look  only  at  each  other.  Is 
that  not  so,  Miss  Alice?"  said  Bennett. 

"Charlie,"  said  Alice,  by  way  of  reply,  "will 
you  have  a  glass  of  ice  water?  It  will  cool  you." 

"I  rather  think  it  will.  Look  at  that  girl  eating 
pickles.  I  am  afraid  she  will  die  before  she  gets 
married.  Now  she  is  picking  her  teeth.  Alice, 
look,  I  say." 

"Mr.  Bennett,  you  should  set  a  better  example 
than  to  be  always  talking  about  that  odious  girl," 
frigidlv  remarked  Amelia. 

Bennett  colored,  but  exclaimed  pleasantly, 
"Here  comes  a  better  subject,  Mark  Everard;  I 
declare  he  is  a  fine  specimen  of  a  fellow,"  and  he 
returned  Everard's  polite  bow.  "Ah,  Alice,  I  see 
you  return  his  bow  nicely.  Some  one  has  po 
litely  finished  his  ice-cream  and  given  him  a 
seat." 

"Charlie,  I  wish  you  would  not  talk  so  much 


po  THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT 

but  eat,  you  will  be  weak,"  said  Alice,  banter- 
ingly.  "I  want  to  talk  a  little  now.  The  Silver- 
baums  are  going.  Berkhoff  looks  supremely 
happy.  He  has  a  good  heart  and  deserves  to  have 
a  good  wife.  I  am  afraid  Miss  Silverbaum  will 
have  things  all  her  own  way." 

"Right,  Alice,  right;  the  young  lady  has  de 
cided  ways  and  shows  them  too.  Men  are  blind  ; 
there  are  two  very  nice  girls  who  graduated  the 
other  day,  why  did  he  not  take  one  of  them?" 
said  Mr.  Hill. 

"Why,  papa,  one  is  Grace  Feld.  She  is  one  of 
the  sweetest,  softest  and  prettiest  girls  in  town. 
To  match  her  with  Berkhoff!"  exclaimed  Alice, 
rather  indignantly. 

"He  has  money  and  is  not  that  all  such  people 
want,"  remarked  Mr.  Hill. 

"The  girl  appears  gentle  and  well-mannered, 
an  extraordinary  thing  for  one  of  her  kind,"  said 
Amelia. 

"A  pretty  little  thing,"  resumed  Bennett  in  a 
low  voice.  "Don't  be  jealous,  Alice.  I  shall  give 
her  a  noble  companion,  grand  and  handsome 
Mark  Anthony  Everard.  There,  I  have  dis 
posed  of  her  to  good  advantage." 

At  that  name  Amelia  looked  in  the  direction  of 
Everard,  who  sat  with  his  face  turned  towards 
her,  and  she  met  his  calm  blue  eyes  fixed  upon 
her.  She  immediately  dropped  her  head  and  said, 
"Father,  it  is  very  warm  in  here  for  you.  If  you 
are  all  ready,  let  us  go.  Those  people,  I  have  no 
doubt,  take  good  care  of  themselves." 

Alice  and  Bennett  went  out  first,  selecting  the 
principal  street,  which,  though  longer,  was  the 


THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT  91 

pleasanter  route,  but  Amelia  and  her  father  took 
the  shorter  cut. 

"Yes,  I  am  not  feeling  well.  Alice  and  Charlie 
can  take  care  of  themselves.  Happy  children!" 

"Alice  is  very  happy,  father.  Is  it  decided  that 
she  shall  marry  Charlie  ?" 

"Well,  the  young  fellow  came  to  me  and 
pleaded  that  I  should  take  compassion  on  him. 
He  said  he  was  here  without  relatives,  and  if  I 
only  would  give  my  consent  that  he  might  have 
Alice  for  a  wife  he  was  willing  to  wait,  only  for 
me  to  say  'yes.'  He  would  have  some  one  to 
work  for,  to  live  for  and,  if  necessary,  to  die  for. 
Alice  would  be  his  'guiding  star.'  What  could  I 
do,  but  give  him  the  wished- for  answer,  and  so 
I  did." 

"You  were  right,  father.  He  is  good-natured, 
generous,  and  loves  Alice  devotedly." 

"Yes,  under  all  that  current  of  gayety  and  hu 
mor  there  is  a  deep-rooted  sentiment  of  honor 
and  justice.  He  has  a  nice  position  with  a  chance 
of  advancement,  and  Alice,  with  her  cheerful 
temper  and  fine  sense  of  discrimination,  is  just 
the  kind  of  companion  he  requires." 

"They  are  both  young,  and  I  pray  God  that 
they  may  have  a  long  and  happy  future." 

"Amen,  my  dear  girl ;  but  they  are  both  young, 
as  you  say,  and  must  wait.  They  both  under 
stand.  Amelia,  oh,  I  am  faint." 

"Dear  father,  lean  on  me  a  little.  Why  did  we 
not  go  the  other  way." 

Amelia  could  not  repress  a  cry  as  her  father 
staggered  against  her  and  she  would  have  fallen 
to  the  ground  with  her  now  helpless  burden, 


92  THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT 

whose  whole  weight  rested  on  her,  had  not  a 
manly  form  with  a  strong  arm  rushed  forward 
and  supported  him. 

"Mr.  Everard,"  said  Amelia,  in  a  despairing 
voice,  immediately  recognizing  him,  "tell  me 
what  to  do?" 

"Compose  yourself,  Miss  Hill.  I  shall  look 
out  for  your  father.  Run  back,  you  are  not  far 
from  the  main  street,  and  get  a  carriage.  Pardon 
my  sending  you  on  this  errand,  but  under  the  cir 
cumstances,  I  cannot  help  it." 

Amelia  was  off  in  an  instant  and  did  not  even 
hear  the  latter  part  of  his  sentence.  Everard 
had  followed  the  Hills  out  of  the  restaurant  and, 
in  a  mechanical  manner,  with  his  mind  wander 
ing  over  the  distant  fields  of  the  future,  he  fol 
lowed  in  the  footsteps  of  Amelia  and  her  father. 
He  saw  Mr.  Hill  stagger,  but  as  he  was  some 
yards  in  the  rear,  he  could  render  assistance  only 
at  her  first  outcry. 

In  a  short  time  the  carriage  came,  bringing 
Amelia  and  Mr.  Forester,  an  intimate  friend 
whom  she  met.  Mr.  Hill,  who  was  breathing 
heavily,  was  placed  on  one  seat,  and  Mr.  Forester 
and  Amelia  knelt  by  his  side,  carefully  holding 
him.  A  messenger  was  immediately  dispatched 
for  their  family  physician,  Dr.  Wilson. 

"Thanks,  Mr.  Everard,"  said  Amelia,  as  the 
carriage  drove  off. 

Everard  lost  no  time  in  taking  the  other  road 
and  following  Mr.  Bennett  and  his  fair  compan 
ion,  who  were  sauntering  along,  discussing  their 
auspicious  future.  Everard  called  Mr.  Bennett 


THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT  93 

aside  and  in  a  few  words  related  to  him  the  sad 
event. 

"What  a  good,  considerate  fellow  you  are," 
whispered  Bennett,  pressing  his  hand. 

"What  pressing  business  that  must  be  to  make 
him  come  after  you  now,  Charlie." 

"I  think,  Alice,  it  is  getting  chilly." 

"Why,  Charlie,  I  am  perspiring.  Let  me  see, 
what  was  it  you  proposed  when  that  Mr.  Everard 
interrupted  us?" 

"Alice,  dear,"  said  Bennett,  tenderly,  "it  strikes 
me  that  your  father — my  father,  please  God — 
did  not  look  well  this  evening." 

"For  heaven's  sake,  Charlie,  what  do  you 
mean?  Is  father  ill?  Did  Mr.  Everard  bring 
any  bad  news  ?"  eagerly,  tremblingly,  asked  Alice. 

"Yes,  he  said  your  father  was  not  very  well. 
Don't  walk  so  fast,  you  will  overheat  yourself. 
You  will  be  sick.  I  must  take  care  of  you.  You 
are  my  darling,  you  know  your  dear  father  said 
so." 

"Dear  Charlie,  come  on.  I  seem  not  to  be 
moving.  Poor  papa,"  said  the  girl,  while  her 
tears  fell  fast. 

"He  is  not  very  ill,  I  hope.  I  suppose  the  heat 
has  prostrated  him.  I  thank  God  I  have  the 
right  to  come  whenever  I  want  and  comfort  you ; 
don't  you,  Alice  ?" 

"Yes,  Charlie,"  answered  Alice  in  a  soft  voice. 

Bennett  never  ceased  cheering  her  the  entire 
way,  urging  her  to  be  discreet  and  brave,  and 
when  she  reached  home  Alice  could  not  help  mur 
muring  a  prayer  of  thanks  to  God  for  raising  up 


94  THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT 

one  who  would  henceforth  soothe  her  troubles  as 
well  as  share  her  joys. 

"My  dear  Miss  Alice,"  said  Dr.  Wilson,  com 
ing  forward,  "don't  be  alarmed.  Your  father 
has  had  a  very,  very  slight  attack  of  paralysis, 
but  is  already  much  better  and  breathing  more 
easily.  He  requires  absolute  quiet  for  a  few  days, 
relaxation  from  his  business  for  a  few  weeks,  and 
he  will  then,  I  have  no  doubt,  quite  recover." 

"Dear  Amelia,"  said  Alice  to  her  sister — who 
clasped  her  in  her  arms — in  the  same  low  tone  of 
voice  that  the  doctor  had  spoken,  "does  father 
recognize  you?" 

"He  opened  his  eyes  once,  gave  my  hand  a  fee 
ble  pressure,  and  closed  them  again.  I  am  very 
hopeful  though,"  replied  Amelia,  who  had,  exter 
nally  at  least,  recovered  her  composure. 

"Don't  let  the  doctor  go ;  make  him  stay  all 
night,"  implored  Alice. 

"He  shall  remain." 

"And  so  shall  I,"  said  Bennett. 

"Charlie,  it  is  not  necessary,"  said  Amelia,  ad 
dressing  him  for  the  first  time  by  his  given  name, 
but  he  insisted  so  firmly  on  his  right  of  remaining 
to  watch  with  the  doctor  that  she  knew  it  would 
be  useless  to  remonstrate  with  him,  and,  appre 
ciating  his  kindness,  the  two  sisters  respected 
his  "right"  with  grateful  looks. 

On  the  following  day,  Mark  Everard  made  in 
quiries  regarding  Mr.  Hill,  and  left  his  card  with 
the  housemaid,  requesting  her  not  to  disturb  any 
one. 

At  the  expiration  of  three  weeks  Mr.  Hill  was 


THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT  95 

so  much  improved  that  the  physician  allowed  him 
to  receive  visitors. 

"Dear  Amelia,"  said  her  father,  "I  wish  you 
would  leave  word  with  the  maid  when  Mr.  Ever- 
ard  comes  again  inquiring  for  my  health  to  ask 
him  up.  I  want  to  thank  him  for  his  kindness  on 
the  night  of  my  attack  and  for  the  interest  he  has 
since  manifested  by  calling  daily." 

"Yes,  father." 

"He  has  not  called  yet  to-day,  has  he  ?" 

"No,  but  this  is  his  usual  time,  and  I  momen 
tarily  expect  him.  I  shall  ring  and  inform  Eliza 
of  your  wish." 

"Do  so,  then."  Amelia  complied  with  her  fath 
er's  request,  and  accordingly,  when  Everard  came 
he  was  shown  upstairs  to  see  Mr.  Hill.  Amelia 
received  him  with  easy,  studied  politeness. 

"A  thousand  thanks,  Mr.  Everard,  for  your 
goodness.  Why,  bless  me,  I  could  scarcely  wait 
until  I  had  my  physician's  permission  to  see  and 
thank  you,"  said  Mr.  Hill. 

'Tray  be  calm,  Mr.  Hill.  My  attention  was 
nothing  but  common  humanity  that  I  should  have 
shown  a  stranger,  much  less  you,  for  whom  I  en 
tertain  the  deepest  respect." 

Mr.  Hill  coughed,  took  out  his  handkerchief 
and  slowly  wiped  the  perspiration  from  his  brow. 
Amelia  turned  her  face  toward  the  window  for  an 
instant,  then  made  some  observation  relating  to 
the  weather. 

"How  is  Nile's  case  getting  along?"  remarked 
Mr.  Hill,  after  replacing  his  handkerchief. 

"It  has  been  postponed  until  the  next  term.  It 
is  too  warm  now,"  laughed  Everard,  "to  do  much 


96  THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT 

thinking.  This  weather  renders  one  very  indo 
lent.  Your  illness  came  in  an  appropriate  time." 

"I  believe  it  did,"  answered  Mr.  Hill.  After 
some  conversation  about  the  impending  election 
and  various  interesting  local  affairs,  Everard  rose 
to  go. 

"Come  soon  again,  Mr.  Everard,  I  shall  always 
be  delighted  to  see  you,"  said  Mr.  Hill. 

Amelia,  who  had  refrained  as  much  as  possible 
from  taking  any  part  in  the  conversation,  accom 
panied  Everard  to  the  door  and  said,  "Allow  me 
once  more  to  thank  you." 

"Why  make  so  much  of  nothing?"  asked  he, 
looking  directly  into  her  eyes. 

Amelia  averted  her  head  and  replied,  "It  is  ap 
preciated  nevertheless." 

He  lingered  a  few  moments  at  the  door,  but 
the  expected  and  much  longed  for  invitation  to 
repeat  his  visit  was  not  forthcoming  from  her 
lips. 


THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT  97 


CHAPTER  X. 

The  school  days  of  Grace  had  flitted  by  with 
usual  alternations  of  smiles  and  tears.  If,  in  the 
distance  of  after  years,  the  very  clouds  of  our 
life's  spring  seem  beautiful,  how  gladly  would  we 
recall  the  bounding  pulse  and  joy  of  the  heart 
that  then  made  it  sunshine  and  flowers.  How 
passing,  alas!  are  the  fairy-like  visions  of  youth 
and  how  soon  entombed  beneath  the  hard  reali 
ties  of  life's  onward  path. 

"Henry,"  said  Mrs.  Feld  to  her  husband,  "I 
hope  you  have  thought  about  what  we  were  talk 
ing  of  the  other  day,  to  take  Grace  traveling." 

"Yes,  Ruth ;  you  may  get  ready.  We  will  go 
and  soon  too." 

"I  am  so  glad.  I  am  sure  it  will  do  Grace  good, 
she  is  so  dreamy  and  not  half  so  lively  as  Letitia." 

Mrs.  Feld  was  "glad"  for  more  than  one  rea 
son.  She  was  anxious  to  remove  her  husband 
from  the  gaming  table,  to  which  he  had  now  ad 
dicted  himself  with  a  passion  so  intense  and  ab 
sorbing  as  to  stifle  his  former  insatiable  vice — • 
drink. 

"You  think  you  will  like  it,  Ruth?"  asked  Air. 
Feld,  throwing  away  the  stump  of  a  cigar. 

"Of  course  I  shall,  and  you,  too,  I  am  sure." 

"Don't  fear  for  me;  I  shall  amuse  myself,"  he 
answered,  with  a  short  laugh.  "Good-bye." 


o8  THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT 

"Where  are  you  going?" 

"To  town,  to  be  sure.  It  takes  money  to  play 
grand  lady,  don't  it?  I  must  see  to  my  business, 
so  I  am  off." 

"You  here,  dear  mother,  all  alone?  I  thought 
father  was  here,  too,"  said  Grace,  kissing  her 
mother. 

"He  has  just  gone,  dear;  but  think,  child,  we 
are  to  get  ready  to  go  traveling !" 

"Oh,  mother,  I  am  overjoyed.  It  will  be  so 
nice  for  us  all ;  we  shall  see  so  many  different 
things,  and  you  will  be  happy,  too,  won't  you?" 

"It  maks  me  happy  to  see  you  so.  If  it  were 
not  that  your  Aunt  Clara  is  not  feeling  well,  I 
would  ask  your  father  to  take  Letitia  along,  but 
as  it  is,  it  is  better  for  her  to  stay  at  home." 

"What  is  that  about  me?"  asked  Letitia,  walk 
ing  into  the  room. 

"Father  has  consented  to  take  us  traveling. 
Mother  was  just  saying,  if  Aunt  Clara  were 
stronger,  you,  too,  should  come.  I  am  so  sorry," 
said  Grace,  putting  her  arms  around  her  cousin. 

A  few  tears,  bitter  as  the  waters  of  Marah,  is 
sued  from  Letitia's  eyes,  the  involuntary  overflow 
of  the  bitterness  that  oppressed  her  heart  and 
welled  forth  in  defiance  of  her  will,  which  said, 
"Be  still!" 

"Don't  cry,  Letitia;  poor  mamma  is  sorry,  but 
Aunt  Clara,  your  mother — 

"I  know  she  is  not  well  and  I  would  not  leave 
her  at  present.  Aunt  Ruth,  you  are  good,  you  are 
considerate."  Letitia  turned  her  head  for  a  mo 
ment  from  the  two  women  to  conceal  the  look  of 
anger  and  hate  that  flashed  in  her  eyes.  "Do  not 


THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT  99 

mind  my  grief  at  the  separation,  it  will  pass  away. 
I  love  you  so  very  dearly,  Grace,  that  if  you  only 
enjoy  yourself  I  shall  be  content."  No  one 
could  tell  that  the  quick,  ringing  voice  emanated 
from  a  heart  burning  with  envy  and  yearning  to 
shower  a  thousand  invectives  on  Grace  and  fate. 

"I  know  I  shall  feel  miserable  when  I  leave  you 
and  my  dear  friend,  sweet  Lizzie.  How  can  I  do 
without  her?"  and  the  tears  of  Grace  fell  fast. 

"Now,  it  is  all  very  well  for  you  to  have  such 
great  love  for  that  girl  at  school,  but  as  she  is  go 
ing  to  be  a  nun  and  you  are  soon  to  make  your 
entrance  into  society,  the  best  thing  you  can  do 
is  to  forget  her."  Mrs.  Feld  said  this  as  compla 
cently  as  if  affections  were  articles  that  could  be 
picked  up  and  thrown  away  at  pleasure. 

"However  widely  our  paths  diverge,  mother,  I 
shall  never  forget  her.  I  shall  feel  her  gentle  in 
fluence  though  she  be  far  away." 

"The  novelty  of  traveling,  new  faces  and  dif 
ferent  surroundings  will  soon  put  Lizzie  Raynor 
out  of  your  mind."  In  a  measure  the  mother's 
predictions  were  correct. 

When  they  were  nearly  ready  to  leave,  friend 
ship  again  asserted  itself,  and  Grace  went  to  the 
convent  to  bid  her  "friend  Lizzie,"  now  a  novice, 
adieu. 

"Dear,  are  you  happy  here?" 

"Happy,  dear  Grace?"  said  she,  embracing  her 
affectionately,  "supremely  so." 

"You  look  so.  Your  face  is  more  spirituelle, 
your  voice  softer,  you  look  heavenly." 


ioo  THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT 

"Not  heavenly,  dear,  we  must  not  look  so  high. 
I  hope  you  will  enjoy  yourself  on  the  trip." 

"Not  much  doubt  of  that." 

"I  trust  you  will ;  but  if  ever,  Grace,"  and  the 
voice  of  the  novice  grew  tremulous  with  emotion 
and  prophetic  in  its  earnestness,  "you  grow  weary 
of  the  world  and  are  deserted  by  friends,  come 
here,  and  I  shall  show  you  the  way  to  the  'peace 
beyond  understanding.'  Nothing  to  do  but  think 
of  God  and  prepare  young  minds  for  the  here 
after.  By  sewing  well  the  seed,  an  abundant 
harvest  can  be  reaped.  I  find  it  a  perpetual 
spring  of  joy.  But  I  see  you  look  distressed." 

"I  cannot  suppress  my  feelings,"  replied  Grace. 
"Your  words,  comforting  as  they  should  be,  make 
me  shiver." 

"You  are  in  a  flutter  of  wild  excitement.  You 
anticipate  pleasure,  which,  heaven  grant,  you  may 
find.  Farewell,  dear  friend.  Remember  one  who, 
morning  and  evening,  raises  for  you  her  voice  to 
the  Redeemer,  who  alone  can  save."  With  a  fer 
vent  pressure  of  the  lips  and  of  the  hands,  the  two 
friends  parted,  the  young  woman  to  her  duties 
and  Grace  as  a  debutante — she  hoped  to  be — in 
the  great  whirlpool  called  society. 

The  convent  gates  had  no  sooner  closed  upon 
Grace  than  all  painful  and  perplexing  uncertain 
ties  fled.  Youth,  with  its  elasticity,  is  ready  to 
turn  the  falling  tear  into  one  of  joy.  As  snow 
melts  before  the  genial  rays  of  the  sun,  so  does 
sorrow  yield  to  the  power  of  youth  and  strength. 
Youth,  like  a  smiling  oasis,  reconcile  us  to  the 
dreary  deserts  of  life;  through  this  we  live  in 
green  fields  and  'pastures  new.'  Age  recalls  the 


THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT  ioi 

happy  past,  when  we,  too,  went  along  singing 
songs  and  weaving  garlands,  cheered  with  sweet, 
roseate  hopes  for  the  future.  This  is  the  mirage 
that  creates  for  us  beautiful  pictures  enticing  us 
onward,  indeed,  but  when  they  seem  to  be  near 
est  and  most  real,  dissolving  from  our  view. 

When  September  came  and  Grace  said  "Good 
bye,"  tears  Came  into  Letitia's  eyes,  genuine  tears 
of  sorrow,  not  at  the  departure  of  her  relatives, 
but  that  she  was  forced  to  remain  at  home. 

Mr.  Feld  took  his  family  to  Cairo  by  steamer 
in  preference  to  rail.  Though  the  Mississippi 
steamers  are  no  longer  the  "floating  palaces"  of 
days  gone  by,  but  to  Grace  the  steamer  was 
"magnificent"  and  the  scenery  "fine."  The  little 
city  with  its  levee  to  protect  it  from  inundations 
and  its  Custom  House  of  white  stone  was  pro 
nounced  "elegant." 

After  remaining  a  day  in  Cairo  they  took  the 
Illinois  Central  train  to  Chicago. 

"How  charming,"  said  Grace,  as  the  train 
rolled  over  the  undulating  meadows  and  level  soil 
of  Illinois.  "What  a  luxuriant  vegetation  of  wild 
flowers.  Civilization  has  driven  the  buffalo  from 
his  home." 

"Don't  cry  about  it,"  spoke  Mr.  Feld,  as  her 
eyes  turned  humid.  "Why,  women  and  children 
are  better  than  animals,  I  should  think.  Your 
heart  is  too  soft,  too  soft." 

"Father,  you  don't  understand  me.  Of  course 
animals  with  reason  are  better  than  those  with 
out,"  resumed  Grace,  endeavoring  to  make  her 
father  smile,  "but  everything  driven  away  or  hurt 
pains  me.  The  poor  Indians," 


THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT 

"I  see  no  Indians.  That  is  enough  now.  You 
follow  one  thing  too  long;  that's  unhealthy." 

"Wouldn't  you  like  some  of  those  flowers, 
Grace?  How  beautiful  they  are,"  said  Mrs.  Feld, 
trembling  for  her  darling  child. 

"Mother,  if  the  car  could  only  stop  for  ten  min 
utes,  what  myriads  of  specimens  I  should  gather 
for  my  herbarium,"  replied  Grace,  pressing  her 
mother's  hand. 

"Here  we  are  at  Chicago.  Dreadful  tired  with 
that  long  ride.  Glad  we  are  settled  in  this  nice 
hotel.  This  is  comfort,"  said  Mr.  Feld,  as  he 
stretched  himself  at  full  length  on  the  lounge  in 
his  luxurious  quarters  of  the  Auditorium- Annex. 

"This  must  be  a  beautiful  city  and  a  great  grain 
market,  too,"  and  Grace  looked  wise. 

"Great!"  returned  her  father.  "What  do  you 
know?  It  is  the  greatest  in  the  world.  Many  a 
fortune  has  been  made  and  lost  here.  The  people 
speculate  in  wheat  as  they  do  in  mining  stocks  in 
San  Francisco  and  in  railroad  stocks  and  all  con 
ceivable  kinds  of  stocks  in  New  York.  These 
lakes  and  the  energetic  people  have  made  Chi 
cago." 

"I  do  not  know  anything  about  stocks  and  such 
things,  father." 

"There,  didn't  I  tell  you,  you  don't  know  any 
thing.  Women  never  do ;  their  brains  are  too 
weak  for  such  matters,"  politely  answered  Mr. 
Feld.  "Here,  pet,  don't  look  sad  again,  you  know 
enough.  We  will  drive  through  the  parks  to-mor 
row  or  the  day  after  and  on  the  Lake  Shore  road. 
Will  that  please  you  ?" 

"You  are  ever  good  and   kind.     Father,    this 


THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT  103 

traveling  makes  you  look  ever  so  young,  not  that 
you  ever  look  old,  but  as  young  as  a  man  of 
twenty-five."  Grace  caressed  and  hung  over  him 
lovingly.  "Do  you  know,  there  is  a  school  here 
called  the  'Dearborn  Institute.'  It  has  a  great  re 
fracting  telescope — then  the  Chicago  University, 
and  so  many  things  ;  I  should  like  to  see  them  all." 

"What  a  coaxing  little  thing  you  are.  What  do 
I  know  or  care  about  telescopes,  universities  or 
art  galleries." 

"Father,  you  know  I  read  a  good  deal  about 
philosophical  and  astronomical  instruments,  and 
pictures  and  statues,  but  have  seen  little." 

"Well,  well,  all  right;  but  then  we  must  go  to 
the  theater  every  night  while  we  are  here." 

"That  is  just  what  I  desire."  Grace,  who  had 
never  seen  anything  more  than  the  performance 
of  the  country  Thespians,  was  overcome  with  de 
light  and  lost  herself  in  the  illusions  of  the  stage. 

On  walking  home  to  the  hotel  one  day  Mr.  Feld 
observed  a  man  very  adroitly  putting  his  hand 
into  the  pocket  of  a  lady  who  was  walking  in 
front  of  him  by  the  side  of  a  gentleman.  To  rush 
forward  and  give  the  fellow  a  blow  was  the  work 
of  a  moment.  The  lady  and  gentleman  turned 
round,  and  the  former  at  once  missed  her  porte- 
monnaie.  Mr.  Feld,  glancing  at  the  prostrate  fel 
low,  saw  the  missing  article  on  the  pavement, 
picked  it  up  and  restored  it  to  its  owner.  Taking 
in  the  situation  at  a  glance,  the  lady  and  gentle 
man  expressed  their  thanks,  and  all  three  hurried 
forward  lest  they  should  be  detained  by  the  police 
as  witnesses  against  the  pickpocket.  Thus  was 
formed  an  acquaintanceship,  and  on  Mr.  Feld 


IO4  THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT 

ascertaining  that  they  were  traveling  for  recrea 
tion  to  Niagara — the  young  man  being  a  minister 
— his  delight  was  great.  Both  parties  agreed  that 
union  would  be  a  mutual  gain. 

"Ruth,"  said  Mr.  Feld,  "I  thank  the  pickpocket 
for  introducing  me  to  such  good  and  pleasant 
company  as  Montmartre  and  his  sister  are." 

'They  are  very  nice,  I  think,"  responded  his 
wife. 

"Miss  Montmartre,"  added  Grace,  "says  they 
are  descended  from  an  old  Huguenot  family,  who 
fled  from  France  immediately  after  the  revoca 
tion  of  the  Edict  of  Nantes  by  Louis  XIV." 

When  all  were  seated  in  the  car  bound  for 
New  York,  Mr.  Feld  in  a  way  placed  his  wife 
and  daughter  under  Dr.  Montmartre's  care  by 
saying:  "I  shall  be  mostly  in  the  other  car  in 
dulging  in  a  smoke.  Of  course  you  don't  smoke, 
but  you  can  talk  and  explain  these  occasional 
'little  gems,'  as  Grace  calls  some  very  pretty 
scenes." 

Dr.  Montmartre  looked  at  Grace,  who  always 
crimsoned  at  the  least  illusion  to  herself,  and  ex 
pressed  more  by  his  eyes  than  by  his  words  the 
pleasure  he  would  take  in  elucidating  and  inter 
preting  nature  for  his  fair  companion.  And  an 
other  blush  overspread  the  face  of  Grace  before 
the  first  wave  had  entirely  passed  away. 

Arriving  in  New  York,  Mr.  Feld  wished  to 
stop  at  the  St.  Regis,  but  to  accommodate  the 
Montmartres,  who  did  not  wish  to  go  to  that 
pretentious  caravansary,  they  went  to  another  ho 
tel,  which,  though  not  so  grand,  was  still  first- 
class. 


THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT  105 

As  Grace  expressed  a  desire  to  see  the  splen 
did  stores  of  the  great  Metropolis,  where  the 
treasures  of  the  East  and  West  are  gathered,  Dr. 
Montmartre  and  his  sister  accompanied  her  and 
her  mother — Feld  generally  disappeared  after  the 
morning  meal  only  to  retun  at  dinner  time. 

Grace  was  astonished  at  the  fine  display  of 
merchandise;  all  the  beauty  of  her  own  fabrics 
vanished.  As  for  the  stores  themselves,  she  did 
not  dare  compare  them  with  the  ones  in  that 
humble  little  town  from  whence  she  came.  It 
took  some  time  for  our  "Country  Cousin"  to  se 
lect  from  the  many  "sweet  things"  exhibited  for 
her  benefit.  All  things  were  novel  to  her  in  this 
great  city,  but  her  naturally  acute  perceptions, 
sharpened  by  the  delicate  suggestions  of  Miss 
Montmartre,  who  had  seen  much  of  the  world, 
made  her  quickly  conform  to  the  style  and  man 
ners  of  those  surrounding  her,  and  soon  bridged 
over  all  verdancy. 

"Father,"  said  Grace,  as  she  returned  from  her 
first  sight-seeing  and  shopping  expedition,  "how 
immensely  rich  the  people  must  be  here." 

"You  know  nothing,  child;  there  are  men  in 
Wall  street  who  make  and  lose  millions  a  day." 

"According  to  that,"  resumed  Grace,  "what 
you  possess  is  a  mere  nothing" 

"All  is  nothing,"  said  her  mother.  "What  can 
buy  life,  health,  happiness  or  heaven?" 

The  first  Sunday  after  their  arrival,  Mrs.  Feld 
proposed  that  she  and  Grace  keep  their  Sabbath 
in  the  Temple  Emanuel,  Fifth  Avenue,  corner  of 
Forty-third  Street, 


io6  THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT 

"Mrs.  Felcl/'  said  Montmartre,  "my  sister  and 
I  should  like  to  accompany  you  if  you  have  no 
objection,"  and,  of  course,  the  Felds  were  de 
lighted  to  have  them. 

"How  happy  I  am  that  you  are  coming  along. 
Would  you  believe  it,"  said  Grace,  "I  have  never 
been  in  a  synagogue!  and  I  am  quite  eager  to 
hear  and  see  what  is  said  and  done  there." 

"Well,  I  have,"  replied  Dr.  Montmartre, 
"though  my  sister  has  not.  I  hear  that  the  in 
terior  of  this  Temple  is  magnificent,  decorated  in 
the  Oriental  style  and  finished  in  a  superb  man 
ner." 

The  synagogue  was  found  to  be  as  grand  as 
he  described  it.  As  the  organ  spoke  in  its  sol 
emn,  deep-stirring  tone  and  the  artistic  voices  of 
the  choir  accompanied  it  in  the  Yigdal  and  other 
holy  songs,  Grace  felt  her  soul  lifted  up,  and 
could  have  wept  for  her  deep  emotions.  The  next 
day  being  Sunday,  mother  and  daughter  accom 
panied  brother  and  sister  to  the  Unitarian  church 
— the  church  to  which  the  two  latter  belonged. 
It  was  a  handsome  building  of  red  brick  and 
cream-colored  stone,  with  beautiful,  variegated 
marble  columns.  The  liberal  views  of  the  minis 
ter  expressed  in  his  sermon  pleased  them  well, 
and  when  the  choir  sang  "I  know  that  my  Re 
deemer  liveth,"  with  the  deep,  swelling,  rever 
berating  notes  of  the  organ,  again  the  tear  trem 
bled  in  the  eye  of  Grace. 

On  the  following  Sunday  they  visited  St.  Pat 
rick's  Cathedral,  where  Grace  was  also  visibly 
affected  by  the  solemn  services.  She  was  one  of 
those  emotional  beings,  who  are  carried  along 


THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT  107 

with  each  passing  sentiment,  one  replacing-  the 
other  in  rapid  succession,  the  last  impression  be 
ing  generally  the  strongest. 

"So  we  are  to  visit  to-day  Cooper's  Institute, 
the  Normal  College  and  the  Libraries.  I  am 
anxious  to  see  the  building  which  is  a  glorious 
monument  to  the  philanthropy  of  Peter  Cooper. 
We  must  hurry  and  go  early  if  we  wish  to  ac 
complish  anything.  Are  you  ready,  Grace?"  said 
Laura  Montmartre's  voice. 

Grace,  with  light  gray  poplin  dress,  a  blue  rib 
bon  knotted  around  her  throat  and  the  daintiest 
little  hat  in  the  world,  from  which  strayed  loose 
tendrils  of  golden  hair,  was  a  lovely  vision.  Dr. 
Montmartre  thought  so,  too,  as  he  looked  up 
from  some  engravings  on  the  reception  room  ta 
ble  which  he  had  been  carelessly  viewing. 

Dr.  Arthur  Montmartre,  over  six  feet  tall,  had 
fine,  clear,  gray  eyes,  a  broad  and  intellectual 
forehead  and  heavy,  chestnut  hair,  perfectly 
straight  around  his  head.  His  forty-five  years 
and  his  great  self-control  gave  him,  he  thought, 
all  the  armor  he  needed,  yet  an  undefinable  some 
thing  passed  over  him  as  he  looked  at  Grace 
standing  there.  A  light  of  pleasure  shone  from 
his  eye  so  perceptibly,  that  she  faltered  and  trem 
bled  like  a  bird  on  a  branch  ready  for  flight. 

"In  a  moment.  We  can  start  as  soon  as 
mamma  is  ready,"  responded  Grace,  looking 
down  on  the  carpet  and  vainly  essaying  to  fasten 
her  gloves. 

"Allow  me,"  said  Dr.  Montmartre,  as  he  de 
liberately  took  the  buttoner  from  Grace  and  ac 
complished  the  troublesome  task. 


io8  THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT 

Mrs.  Feld,  coming  in,  gave  one  swift,  uneasy 
gl'ance  at  the  two,  then  turned  and  quietly  said  to 
Laura,  "I  am  sorry  I  kept  you  waiting,  but  I 
will  no  longer.  Come,  let  us  go,"  and  this  day, 
with  many  others,  was  devoted  to  "sight-seeing." 

But  from  all  this  coming  and  going  Mr.  Feld 
held  himself  aloof.  Mrs.  Feld  had  done  all  she 
could  to  induce  him  to  join  them,  but  in  vain. 
Grace,  in  the  excitement  and  whirl  of  pleasure, 
had  not  reflected  much  on  her  father's  absence 
from  these  excursions.  In  fact,  she  was  uncon 
sciously  nurturing  an  all  absorbing  interest  in 
another,  which  made  her  for  the  time  forgetful 
of  everything.  Such  selfishness  does  the  ger 
mination  of  the  tender  chord  produce  even  in  the 
best. 

"Dear  mamma,  Dr.  Montmartre  and  Laura 
say  it  is  time  for  us  to  be  off  for  Niagara,  so 
please  ask  papa  if  we  can  start  to-morrow.  I 
am  so  glad  we  have  fallen  in  with  them.  Laura 
is  so  amiable  and  sympathetic.  Thinks  about 
everything  and  loves  the  whole  world,"  to  which 
observation  Mrs.  Feld  assented  with  an  affirma 
tive  nod. 

"She  must  be  thirty,"  continued  Grace,  "and 
though  her  features  are  not  regular,  I  can't  see 
anything  that  I  should  like  to  have  altered  about 
them.  As  for  Dr.  Montmartre,  he  seems  a  Solo 
mon,  who  knows  everything  'from  the  cedar  tree 
that  is  in  Lebanon  to  the  Hyssop  that  springeth 
out  of  the  wall.'  Both  are  invaluable  compan 
ions.  But  what  about  Niagara?  I  do  so  hope 
we  can  go  when  they  wish  it." 

"I   shall   ask  your    father  this    evening,   and 


THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT  109 

think  we  can  go;  for  I  wish  to  leave  here  too," 
observed  Mrs.  Feld,  with  a  slightly  quavering 
voice. 

"What  a  dear  mother  you  are,"  replied  Grace, 
kissing  her  affectionately  as  she  left  the  room. 

No  sooner  had  the  door  closed  upon  her 
child's  retreating  form  than  Mrs.  Feld  put  her 
hands  to  her  head  and  commenced  crying  bit 
terly,  saying:  "Yes,  I  want  to  leave  here.  Why 
did  I  ever  leave  home?  Henry  is  drawn  on  here 
like  the  moth  to  the  candle.  I  must  mask  my 
feelings  before  this  little  world  of  people. 
Henry's  associates  have  the  same  right  to  this 
hotel  as  I  have,  and  they  seem  to  smile  at  me 
mockingly.  And  Grace's  companions — Oh!  I 
wish  I  was  home  again." 

"Well,  mamma,"  said  Grace,  on  the  following 
morning,  "what  answer  did  papa  give?" 

"We  are  to  go." 

"You  are  ever  loving  and  kind,  but  I  shall  try 
and  repay  all  by  filial  obedience.  I  am  so  very 
glad.  You  look  pale  and  worn  to-day.  Does 
papa — "  she  could  proceed  no  further ;  the  words 
refused  to  come  at  her  bidding.  Her  heart  was 
touched  with  remorse  at  being  so  engrossed  in 
her  own  pleasures  as  not  to  observe  and  share 
her  mother's  troubles. 

Mrs.  Feld  was  too  considerate  a  wife  to  wish 
to  expose  her  husband's  faults  more  than  was 
actually  necessary,  so  she  quickly  changed  the 
subject.  Grace  was  too  wise  to  harp  on  a  topic 
which  she  knew  was  giving  pain. 

"My  dear  child,  what  do  you  think  of  Mr. 


no          THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT 

Lavalle,  whom  your  father  introduced  to  our 
circle  at  dinner  yesterday?" 

"He  looks  very  distingue"." 

"He  is  very  rich  and  has  traveled  all  over  the 
world.  You  like  that,  I  know.  He  is  of  our  re 
ligion,  and  is  every  way  a  man  to  be  encouraged 
in  respectable  families." 

"I  like  to  hear  and  read  travelers'  interesting 
narratives.  I  should  like  to  go  myself  to  Can 
ton,  where  the  poor  eat  rats,  'prepared  by  skin 
ning,  flattening  and  drying;'  to  the  jungles  of 
India,  where  the  tiger  and  lion  roam,  where  one 
must  feel  impressed  by  the  silent  grandeur  of 
the  forests  and  mountains;  see  the  Sheiks  of 
Arabia,  the  Effendis  and  Pashas  of  Turkey, 
where  one  is  treated  so  hospitably,  and  when 
seated  on  a  divan  is  presented  with  the  custom 
ary  chibouque  with  a  golden  saucer  underneath 
the  bowl  of  the  pipe  by  an  attendant,  who  grace 
fully  drops  on  one  knee.  Go  to  Jerusalem  and 
visit  the  four  holy  cities,  Jerusalem,  Safed,  Ti 
berias  and  Hebron;  go  to  the  Dead  Sea,  and, 
though  I  can  neither  analyze  its  waters  nor  as 
certain  its  specific  gravity,  yet  could  take  a  sail 
on  its  deep,  sullen  bosom,  provided  I  could  ob 
tain  an  iron  boat." 

"There,  Grace,  stop  to  breathe.  Mr.  Lavalle 
can  gratify  you  in  all  these  things.  Come,  dear, 
be  a  little  on  the  lookout,  won't  you?" 

"These  things  are  very  well  in  their  way.  If 
some  one  can  give  me  all  I  want,  with  other 
good  qualities  to  recommend  him,  he  may  make 
an  impression  upon  me,  but  if  not,  I  say  'no,'  " 
added  Grace,  looking  up  archly  and  laughing. 


THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT  in 


CHAPTER  XI. 

"When  we  come  back  from  Niagara  we  must 
make  an  ascent  of  the  tall,  blue  Catskill  moun 
tains,"  was  Montmartre's  proposition  to  Mrs. 
Feld. 

"Indeed — I  am  speaking  for  my  family — we 
will  not.  No  going  up  mountains  for  me."  Mrs. 
Feld  secretly  hoped  that  he  would  be  anxious  to 
go  and  they  would  part  company. 

"If  you  all  won't  go,  of  course,  my  sister  and  I 
shall  not.  I  thought  as  we  cannot  see  the  snow- 
clad  Sierras,  we  should  see  the  Catskill;  but  as 
you  like,"  and  Dr.  Montmartre  consoled  himself 
with  the  delightful  prospect  of  many  dangerous 
places  at  Niagara  where  he  could  give  assistance 
to  Grace. 

"I  have  changed  my  mind,"  said  Mr.  Feld, 
coming.  "I  am  going  first  to  Saratoga.  Come 
along,  Montmartre." 

"But  the  tickets?" 

"Never  mind;  I  will  attend  to  that  part  of  the 
business." 

"You  said  we  were  to  go  to  the  Falls,"  said 
Mrs.  Feld;  "let  us  go." 

"But  /  don't  want  to  go,  and  that's  the  end  of 
it." 

"Please  your  wife,  Mr.  Feld.  Come,  do;  I, 
too,  should  like  to  go  to  Niagara." 


H2  THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT 

There  is  no  telling  what  reply  Mr.  Feld  would 
have  made,  but  when  Mrs.  Feld  saw  that  Dr. 
Montmartre,  too,  preferred  to  go  to  Niagara, 
she  quickly  said :  "It  is  no  difference  to  me, 
Henry.  Do  as  you  please." 

"To  Saratoga,  by  all  means,"  said  Mr.  Feld. 

Mrs.  Feld  was  disappointed ;  for  Dr.  Mont 
martre  submitted  to  the  dictum  of  Grace's  father. 

Mr.  Feld  was  in  a  feverish  haste  to  reach  Sar 
atoga.  He  had  no  sooner  arrived  there,  than  he 
plunged  into  every  excess.  In  this  vortex  of 
wealth  and  fashion  Grace  would  have  felt  quite 
alone,  had  it  not  been  for  her  companions,  who 
had  mingled  much  in  the  world.  The  Montmar- 
tres  possessed  the  art  of  winning  all  hearts,  and 
prepared  the  way  for  their  more  timid  compan 
ion.  And  one  of  these  companions  seemed  to 
Grace  to  be  a  thesaurus  of  everything  that  was 
wonderful  and  good  and  wise.  If  accompanied 
by  Dr.  Montmartre,  she  would  have  found  the 
same  attraction  in  the  desert  of  Arizona  or  Sa 
hara  as  in  Saratoga. 

"I  declare,  Henry,"  said  Mrs.  Feld,  as  her  hus 
band  leisurely  sauntered  into  the  room,  "I  wish 
we  were  home  again.  I  feel  so  lonely  here.  I 
am  afraid  that  Grace  does  not  enjoy  herself  too 
well !"  She  was  really  anxious,  heartsick  to  get 
away  and  be  at  home  again.  Temptations  beset 
her  husband,  and  he  rushed  madly  into  the  eddy 
ing  maelstrom.  She  also  dreaded  the  fascinations 
of  that  intelligent,  amiable,  gentlemanly  Chris 
tian.  Had  he  been  an  indifferent  person  or  of 
ordinary  mold,  she  would  not  have  been  appre- 


THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT  113 

hensive  of  the  result;  but  this  man  was  one  of 
Grace's  ideal  heroes. 

"Well,  my  dear  wife,  as  far  as  regards  Grace,  I 
don't  think  she  could  be  better  amused  than  here. 
Her  eyes  are  never  swimming  in  tears  now ;  on 
the  contrary,  they  are  always  laughing  with  pleas 
ure.  So  you  do  not  see  straight." 

"It  is  also  too  fashionable  for  me  here.  It  ap 
pears  as  if  the  ladies  brought  a  jeweler's  shop 
with  them.  Such  quantities  of  diamonds  and 
pearls  as  are  displayed  in  these  grand  parlors ! 
When  Grace  had  on  at  home  her  little  sunburst 
of  diamonds,  I  thought  it  made  her  look  beauti 
ful;  here  no  one  notices  it,  but  with  contempt. 
Laura's  diamonds  are  very  handsome.  She  is 
not  wealthy,  but  the  jewels  are  heirlooms  from 
noble  ancestors." 

"Oh,  you  women !  I  never  knew  she  had  dia 
monds." 

Mrs.  Feld  wished  to  remark  that  he  took  little 
note  of  what  should  interest  him,  but  wisely  con 
cluded  not  to  reproach  him  when  he  was  with 
her. 

"The  Montmartres  are  very  nice  people,  let  me 
tell  you.  Glad  we  dropped  in  with  them ;  relieve 
me  ever  so  much,"  added  Mr.  Feld,  with  visi 
ble  satisfaction. 

"I  am  sure  I  wish  we  had  not  met  them,"  re 
sponded  Mrs.  Feld,  slowly.  "I  should  be  much 
better  satisfied  if  Dr.  Montmartre  was  less  with 
our  Grace.  Do  you  know  he  is  a  Unitarian?" 

"Well,  what  of  it?  For  my  part,  Deist,  Athe 
ist,  Pantheist  or  Fetichist,  as  long  as  he  leaves 
me  alone.  The  Unitarians  are  the  most  liberal 


H4  THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT 

Christians,  denying  the  Trinity,  I  believe.  You 
see  I  am  growing  old  and  don't  want  the  trouble 
of  always  dangling  after  young  girls,"  and  Mr. 
Feld,  with  his  customary  vanity,  looked  in  the 
opposite  mirror  for  a  refutation  of  the  assertion. 

"I  feel  frightened  about  Grace  and  Dr.  Mont- 
martre." 

"Believe  me,  Ruth,  he  regards  Grace  as  a 
friend,  and  has  as  little  desire  to  mix  blood  with 
the  Jew  as  the  Jew  with  him.  Have  no  fear." 

A  few  days  after  this  conversation,  Grace  came 
into  her  mother's  room  with  a  letter  in  her  hand, 
exclaiming,  "A  letter  from  Letitia.  Aunt  is  en 
tirely  well,  and  Uncle  took  Letitia  to  St.  Louis 
'to  gratify  his  darling  child,'  as  she  says." 

"Well,  I  am  glad  everything  is  smiling  there. 
Here  is  your  father." 

"Why,  papa,  what  have  you  there?" 

"Can't  you  guess?" 

"No;  you  know  I  was  always  slow  at  such 
work." 

"Look,  both  of  you,"  and  Mr.  Feld  quickly  un 
clasped  two  morocco  cases  and  revealed  to  their 
admiring  eyes  what  lay  therein.  In  one  case,  on 
a  blue  velvet  bed,  lay  a  brooch,  earrings  and  neck 
lace  of  pearls,  and  in  the  other,  on  a  rosy  bed,  a 
set  of  diamonds,  which  fairly  dazzled  them  with 
their  brilliancy. 

"The  pearls  are  for  you,  my  dear  Grace,  which, 
being  white  and  soft  looking,  suit  well  your  fair 
complexion.  The  diamonds  are  for  you,  Ruth, 
my  dark  beauty;  they  shine  so,  and  will  light  up 
your  face." 

Grace  threw  her  arms    around    her    father's 


IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT  115 

neck,  kissing  his  forehead,  eyes  and  lips,  declar 
ing:  "You  are  the  very  best  father  in  the  world. 
You  are  too  good." 

Mrs.  Feld,  though  delighted,  could  not  help  ex 
hibiting  vexation  at  this  extravagance,  and  re 
marked,  "At  this  rate  you  are  fast  going  to  ruin." 

''Well,  if  I  do,"  replied  he  doggedly,  "you  go 
a  long  way  to  help  me.  Who  saw  the  jewels  on 
the  other  women?  Is  it  not  women  who  coolly 
examine  and  dissect  one  another  from  head  to 
foot?" 

"I  am  sure,  mamma,  dear  papa  was  anxious  to 
please.  I  hope  he  has  not  been  too  generous." 

"Of  course  it  was  to  please  your  mother.  As 
soon  as  I  heard  her  mention  that  both  of  you  had 
no  pretty  ornaments,  I  sent  an  order  to  a  house 
in  New  York.  Think  of  my  luck !  Lavalle  is  in 
timate  with  the  proprietor  and  brought  the  jewels 
here  himself.  He  was  coming,  he  said,  and  was 
happy  to  do  me  a  favor.  And  you,  Ruth,  angry 
for  my  kindness!  Fine  thanks." 

"Take  us  home,"  said  Mrs.  Feld,  who,  feeling 
she  was  in  dangerous  waters,  knew  no  longer 
how  to  steer,  and  was  anxious  for  the  shore. 

"Do  take  us  home,"  added  Grace,  imploringly, 
while  tears  gathered  in  her  eyes. 

"Why,  what  is  the  matter  with  you?  You  are 
actually  trembling,"  and  her  father  patted  her 
face. 

"Go  home  and  leave  Lavalle  here!  That 
would  not  do.  I  believe  he  just  came  because  you 
are  here,  for  he  did  not  know  how  to  show  his 
kindness  when  he  brought  the  cases.  And  the 


n6  THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT 

way  he  looked  at  me,  Grace,  that  was  for  you, 
too." 

"Oh,  papa,  what  nonsense.  The  man  doesn't 
think  of  me,  I  am  sure." 

"Yes,  he  does,  Grace.  Let  me  tell  you  he  is  a 
very  nice  man,  young,  good-looking,  heaps  of 
money;  what  more  can  you  want?  A  splendid 
life-companion.  Better  for  you  than  Montmar- 
tre,  my  dear,  who  is  really  an  excellent,  capital 
fellow,  but  religion,  child,  religion." 

Mrs.  Feld  grew  pale ;  probably  her  husband  by 
his  words  might  have  warmed  the  phantom  into 
life.  "That  man,"  said  she  to  herself,  "never 
does  understand  anything;  he  makes  the  most 
fearful  blunders." 

Grace,  at  first  attracted  by  Dr.  Montmartre's 
great  conversational  powers  and  vast  knowledge 
on  all  subjects,  gradually  found  herself  longing 
for  his  presence ;  then,  being  constantly  in  his  so 
ciety,  he  had  made  deep  inroads  into  her  heart. 
She  was  restless  and  unhappy  the  moment  he  left 
her. 

Though  Arthur  Montmartre  had  never  al 
lowed  a  word  of  love  to  escape  his  lips,  his  "ac 
tions  spoke  louder  than  words."  Everything  he 
did  for  her  said,  "I  love  you."  Intuitively,  they 
were  both  mutually  sensible  of  a  reciprocated 
love.  Young  as  Grace  was,  she  repeatedly  asked 
herself: 

"What  will  become  of  this  love,  which  I  dare 
not  reveal?  The  knowledge  of  it  will  render  my 
parents  miserable,  especially  my  mother.  She  will 
condemn  me  without  mercy." 


THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT  "117 

Grace  passed  day  after  day  in  a  kind  of  hope 
less  joy.  She  clung  to  the  moments  as  they  flew 
swiftly  by,  hoping  and  praying  that  the  problem 
would  be  solved.  When  her  mother  said,  "Let 
us  go  home,"  she  echoed  the  cry  with  a  despair 
ing  heart.  She  perceived  that  she  was  losing 
strength  in  this  silent  struggle,  and  thought  her 
only  safety  lay  in  flight.  Once  again  in  her  old 
home,  she  could,  if  she  chose,  nourish  the  pas 
sion,  live  on  it,  and  if  she  must,  "Die  with  it." 

Previously,  Mrs.  Feld  was  too  wise  to  say  any 
thing  disparagingly  of  the  Montmartres,  for  fear 
of  arousing  a  slumbering  passion,  but  now  she 
was  continually  saying:  "How  tired  I  am  of  this 
place  and  these  traveling  companions.  It  is  really 
the  queerest  thing  in  the  world  that  a  little  inci 
dent  about  a  pickpocket  should  make  us  such 
good  friends !  I  should  think,  not  being  too  rich, 
their  traveling  desires  would  be  satisfied  by  this 
time.  It  is  boldness  for  persons  to  think,  if  they 
were  once  welcome,  that  they  will  always  be  so. 
Why  did  they  not  leave  us  and  see  those  moun 
tains  or  Niagara,  when  they  wanted  to  go?" 

Grace  would  answer  in  the  most  touching  tone : 
"Mother,  how  can  you  talk  so?  Better,  nicer 
people  never  breathed  than  Arthur  and  Laura 
Montmartre.  I  should  not  have  enjoyed  myself 
without  them,  and  he  knows  everything." 

"And  so  does  Lavalle,  my  dear,"  said  her 
mother,  when  she  had  heard  the  last  words  for 
the  tenth  time.  "You  do  not  know  how  nice  he 
is.  Let  me  put  you  in  the  right  path.  Montmar 
tre  is  noble,  but,  Grace,  you  know  you  must  not, 
cannot — "  and  they  both  cried  heartily. 


Ii8  THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT 

If  Lavalle  were  with  Grace  to  the  temporary 
exclusion  of  the  minister,  who  chafed  and  fret 
ted,  Mrs.  Feld's  fears  would  vanish.  Then  she 
would  go  to  Arthur  and  be  doubly  kind  to  him, 
as  if  he  did  not  understand  her  kindness  and  her 
manoeuvring ! 

It  was  the  beginning  of  October  when  the 
party  arrived  at  Niagara  Falls.  The  days  were 
warm,  but  the  evenings  quite  cool.  The  sur 
rounding  scenery,  though  now  lacking  the  full 
dress  of  summer,  was  clothed  in  gorgeous  autum 
nal  tints,  beautiful  as  well  as  grand.  A  friendly 
breeze  wafted  to  the  travelers'  rooms  the  dying 
perfume  of  the  herbs  and  wild  flowers,  which 
grow  even  in  the  crevices  of  the  rocks  and  over 
hang  banks  and  cliffs. 

Mr.  Lavalle  had  now  attached  himself  to  the 
party,  and  Montmartre  reproached  himself  for 
not  having  taken  advantage  of  his  former  oppor 
tunities  to  woo  and  win  Grace. 

"Step  in,  Laura,"  said  Montmartre,  after  he 
handed  Mrs.  Feld  and  Grace  in  the  conveyance. 
"I  think  we  shall  have  a  fine  time  to-day."  He 
followed  them  and  was  just  closing  the  door 
when  he  heard  rapid  footsteps. 

"Hey,  Montmartre,  room  for  me?" 

"I  suppose  so." 

"Where  are  you  going?" 

"To  Whirlpool  Rapids." 

"I  am  afraid  I  shall  incommode  you,  ladies, 
though  this  old  vehicle  seems  large  enough  to 
accommodate  six.  Deuced  glad  I  am  not  too 
late.  Here  goes  this  good  Havana,"  said  Lavalle, 


THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT  119 

throwing  away  a  cigar,  "a  sacrifice  to  the  ladies. 
Ye  Gods !  they  are  worth  all  sacrifices." 

Not  a  muscle  of  Montmartre's  face  quivered, 
nor  did  his  manners  manifest  his  feelings  of  dis 
pleasure,  but  mentally  he  exclaimed,  "There  is  no 
evading  that  sleuth  hound." 

"Let  me  assist  you,"  said  Montmartre,  when 
they  arrived  at  their  destination  and  Grace  at 
tempted  to  alight.  "We  are  now  at  the  rapids, 
where  the  Lakes  Superior,  Michigan,  Huron,  St. 
Clair  and  Erie  discharge  their  volumes  of  water." 

"The  noise  of  this  cataract,  so  sullen  and  deaf 
ening  in  its  roar,  sounds  like  rolling  thunder, 
and  causes  the  earth  around  to  tremble.  See  that 
cloud  on  the  hills  and  valleys,"  said  Grace. 

"That  comes,"  replied  Montmartre,  "from  a 
thick  vapor  which  arises  from  the  immense  quan 
tity  of  water  constantly  pouring  down." 

"The  Lord  of  nature  is  nowhere  more  manifest 
than  in  this  wild,  awe-inspiring  display,"  said 
Lavalle. 

"Yes,"  responded  Montmartre,  "but  notwith 
standing  the  variety,  immensity  and  grandeur  of 
God's  works,  man,  small  as  he  is,  feels  that  in 
possessing  a  soul  and  mind  he  stands  at  the  head 
of  all  creation.  'All  men  conceive  bv  the  name  of 
God,  implying  eternity,  incomprehensibility  and 
omnipotency.  And  thus  all  that  will  consider 
may  know  that  God  is,  though  not  what  He  is; 
even  a  man  born  blind,  though  it  be  not  possible 
for  him  to  have  any  kind  of  imagination  what 
kind  of  thing  fire  is,  yet  he  cannot  but  know  that 
something  there  is  that  man  calls  fire,  because  it 


"120  THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT 

warmeth  him.'  "  Montmartre  and  Lavalle  invol 
untarily  took  their  hats  off. 

"These  rocks,"  continued  Montmartre,  "teach 
that  the  world  must  have  an  age  to  which  six 
thousand  years  is  a  mere  trifle ;  for,  according  to 
geology,  ages  were  needed  to  cut  out  these  cliffs, 
smooth  and  polish  the  rocks,  and  to  form  the 
terraces  of  these  wonderful  Falls.  It  has  been 
said  that  the  Falls  were  once  seven  miles  farther 
North,  and  that  they  do  not  remain  stationary." 

"That  is  a  question,"  said  Lavalle. 

"Well,  Lyell,  in  his  description  of  the  Falls, 
said :  'Mr.  Bakewell  calculated  that,  in  the  forty 
years  preceding  1830,  the  Niagara  had  been  go 
ing  at  the  rate  of  about  a  yard  annually,  but  I 
conceive  that  one  foot  a  year  would  be  a  much 
more  probable  conjecture ;  in  which  case  35,000 
years  would  have  been  required  for  the  retreat  of 
the  Falls  from  the  escarpment  of  Queenstown  to 
their  present  site,  if  we  could  assume  that  the 
retrograde  movement  had  been  uniform  through 
out.'  ' 

"But,  omitting  geological  considerations, 
though  we  need  not  believe  in  evolution,"  re 
turned  Lavalle,  "still  we  need  not  believe  that  God 
created  man  and  woman,  as  stated  in  the  Bible." 

"The  Bible  contains  some  unquestionable 
truths." 

"Yes,  so  it  does;  for  instance,  the  ten  com 
mandments  are  unquestionable  because  they  are 
suitable  for  all  epochs,  nations  and  races.  A  God 
is  needed  as  a  cause  for  the  innumerable  and  in 
imitable  works  we  see  around  us.  Cicero  wisely 
asks,  when  writing  of  'the  splendor  and  beauty 


THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT  I2f 

of  the  sky;  the  changes  of  days  and  seasons;  the 
measured  revolutions  of  the  sun;  the  waxing 
and  waning  of  the  moon;  the  courses  of  the 
planets;  the  earth  with  its  variety  of  climates, 
when  we  see  all  these  and  numberless  other  like 
things,  can  we  doubt  whether  there  is  a  Maker 
and  Governor  of  the  Universe?'  " 

"I  am  of  the  opinion  that  all  religions,  based  on 
the  ten  commandments,  have  a  strong  foundation. 
They  are  the  fundamental  principles  of  every 
thing  that  is  good,  the  essence  of  all  religion.  But 
how  about  the  many  ceremonies  attached  to  your 
religion?"  inquired  Montmartre. 

"Certain  rules  were  prescribed  in  the  Bible  for 
sanitary  reasons,  some  to  procure  good  autonomy 
and  bring  the  people  to  light  and  civilization.  As 
for  ceremonies,  they  are,  as  a  Jewish  divine  has 
said,  'only  the  garments  and  not  the  flesh.'  As 
the  world  progresses  many  ceremonies  are  dis 
pensed  with.  No  religion  has  ever  lost  anything 
by  dropping  certain  appendages  which  are  only 
shackles.  A  religion  which  retains  the  ten  com 
mandments  will  never  perish." 

"Mr.  Lavalle,  I  am  delighted  to  hear  you  take 
such  a  liberal  view  of  the  tenets  of  your  faith; 
my  own  also  gives  me  a  broad  scope  for  freedom 
of  thought.  When  I  go  home  to  my  own  dear 
theological  pursuits,  whatever  is  for  the  good  and 
enlightenment  of  humanity  that  shall  I  add  to  my 
creed.  Heavenly  Father,  I  thank  Thee  for  the 
innumerable  benefits  which  Thou  hast  conferred 
on  me  and  mine.  May  my  humble  efforts  be 
crowned  with  success,"  and  the  divine,  in  a  mo 
ment  of  spontaneous  and  grateful  effusion  to 


122  THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT 

God,  raised  his  fine  gray  eyes,  filled  with  enthu 
siasm,  toward  heaven. 

Grace  thought  he  looked  immeasurably  grand, 
and  involuntarily  drew  a  step  nearer  towards 
him. 

When  Montmartre  first  spoke,  Lavalle  felt  a 
slight  attraction  towards  him,  but  when  he  turned 
his  words  into  a  half  prayer,  the  movement  of 
Grace  was  not  unperceived  by  him,  and  he  averted 
his  head  with  a  darkened  look,  mentally  exclaim 
ing  :  "All  ministers  are  canting  hypocrites.  I  de 
test  them.  Miss  Feld,"  he  said  aloud,  going  near 
her,  "look  down  at  the  breakers." 

"I  cannot  look  down  upon  the  maddening  whirl 
of  waters.  The  noise  alone  frightens  me." 

"Why  should  you  fear  when  I  am  here,"  said 
Lavalle  in  a  low  voice. 

"Presumptuous  man,"  said  Dr.  Montmartre 
aside,  whose  jealous  ear  caught  the  whispered 
words,  "it  is  the  arrogance  of  Caesar  to  the  boat 
men.  Shall  it  be  'Veni,  Vidi,  Vici'?  I  must  see 
to  it." 

"Come,"  spoke  Laura,  "let  us  all  take  a  drive 
over  the  bridge  to  the  plateau  on  the  Canadian 
side." 

"Yes,"  said  Grace  and  her  mother  simultane 
ously. 

"If  the  ladies  desire  it,  we  go  of  course.  Don't 
we,  Dr.  Montmartre?"  and  Lavalle  laughingly 
gave  his  arm  to  Grace. 

Montmartre,  though  provoked  almost  beyond 
endurance,  offered  his  arm  to  Mrs.  Feld  and  his 
sister.  He  talked,  laughed  and  jested  until  they 


THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT  123 

arrived  at  the  plateau,  where  they  had  an  excel 
lent  view. 

"See,"  said  Lavalle,  as  they  looked  at  the 
waterfall,  "how  it  shifts,  glides  and  rolls  along." 

"It  reminds  me,"  added  Dr.  Montmartre,  "of 
Mrs.  Sigourney's  beautiful  tribute  to  Niagara: 

"  'Flow  on  forever,  in  thy  glorious  robe 
Of  terror  and  of  beauty,  yea,  flow  on 
Unfathomed  and  resistless.    God  hath  set 
His  rainbow  on  thy  forehead,  and  the  cloud 
Mantled  around  thy  feet.    And  He  doth  give 
Thy  voice  of  thunder  power  to  speak  of  Him 
Eternally — bidding  the  lips  of  man 
Keep  silence,  and  upon  thy  altar  pour 
Incense  of  awe-struck  praise. 

Thou  dost  speak 

Alone  of  God,  who  poured  thee  as  a  drop 
From  his  right  hand — bidding  the  soul  that  looks 
Upon  thy  fearful  majesty  be  still, 
Be  humbly  wrapped  in  its  own  nothingness, 
And  lose  itself  in  him.'  " 

"Those  lines  are  sublime,"  said  Grace,  "and 
your  voice  sounds  so " 

"Grace !"  screamed  her  mother,  catching  her  by 
the  arm. 

"For  heaven's  sake,  what  is  the  matter, 
mother?  You  frightened  me  nearly  to  death." 

"So  you  did  me.  You  careless  girl,  I  thought 
you  were  falling  over.  It  is  time  to  start  for 
home.  You  have  made  me  nervous." 

Laura  looked  down;  Dr.  Montmartre  turned 
slightly  pale.  Lavalle  smiled,  and  the  party 


124  THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT 

started  homeward,  omitting  that  talk  of  the  fear 
that  as  the  Falls  are  now  used  as  a  motor  power, 
time  might  rob  Niagara  of  its  terror  and  beauty. 

A  few  days  after  this  little  fright  of  Mrs.  Feld 
they  again  went  to  the  Whirlpool  Rapids.  Here 
Grace  and  Arthur  found  themselves  a  little  sepa 
rated  from  their  party.  This  great  pleasure  and 
opportunity,  of  which  Montmartre  immediately 
took  advantage,  he  rightly  attributed  to  the  skill 
ful  manoeuvring  of  his  sister  Laura. 

"Dear  Grace,  I  have  longed,  I  have  prayed  for 
this  moment,"  and  looking  into  the  eddying, 
seething  mass  below,  he  continued,  "yet  know  not 
how  to  proceed.  A  story  of  which  I  read  when 
quite  young  comes  to  my  mind,  which,  if  you  are 
willing,  I  shall  relate  to  you." 

"Certainly,  certainly,"  responded  Grace,  ner 
vously. 

"There  was  an  Indian  sleeping  in  his  canoe  on 
the  Lake.  He  was  not  far  from  the  Falls,  but 
the  canoe  was  fastened  and  he  felt  safe.  But  by 
and  by,  the  string  was  loosed  by  some  accident, 
and  the  canoe  floated  out  upon  the  water.  It 
went  silently  along,  and  the  Indian  still  continued 
to  sleep.  Soon  the  current  began  to  take  the  boat 
towards  the  Falls.  It  went  more  and  more  rap 
idly,  and  soon  was  near  the  cataract.  At  this  mo 
ment  the  Indian  awoke ;  he  saw  his  situation  and 
knew  that  it  was  vain  to  struggle  against  his  fate. 
He  therefore  seated  himself  erect,  wrapped  his 
blanket  close  around  his  body  and,  folding  his 
arms,  went  down  with  the  thundering  tide.  I 
feel,"  said  he,  taking  her  hands,  which  had  grown 
cold  during  this  recital,  and  which  she  unresist- 


THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT  125 

ingly  allowed  him  to  hold,  "that  I  can  no  longer 
struggle  against  my  heart's  passion,  and,  like  the 
Indian,  will  submit  to  my  fate.  Grace,  let  it  be 
what  it  will,  if  only  with  you." 

"Grace!"  shrieked  her  mother,  coming  up  rap 
idly  with  Lavalle;  Laura  lingering  in  the  back 
ground.  Grace  did  not  hear  her  mother's  call; 
the  roaring  of  the  cataract  and  her  absorption  in 
Dr.  Montmartre's  conversation  prevented  her. 

"Grace,"  and  her  mother  gave  her  a  gentle  tap 
on  the  shoulder,  "are  you  deaf?" 

The  words  of  Montmartre  had  not  been  heard 
by  Mrs.  Feld,  but  she  caught  sight  of  the  clasp 
ing  of  hands,  and  conjectured  that  she  was  in 
time  to  thwart  a  tender  declaration.  The  story  of 
the  Indian,  combined  with  Montmartre's  avowal 
of  love  and  her  mother's  arrival,  overcame 
Grace.  Her  agitation  was  so  plainly  visible  that 
her  mother  was  convinced  of  that  which  she  had 
but  surmised  the  moment  before. 

"See,  Arthur,"  said  Laura  considerately,  "if 
you  do  not  think  this  shell  which  I  just  found  to 
belong  to  the  univalves.  You  have  studied  con- 
chology  and  should  know." 

"Yes,"  returned  he  upon  examination,  "you  are 
correct.  I  believe  that  study  is  a  favorite  one 
of  yours  too.  Here,  Mr.  Lavalle,  look  at  it,  may 
be  you  also  take  an  interest  in  malacology." 

"Certainly  I  do,"  rejoined  Lavalle,  who  was  a 
prudent,  consummate  man  of  the  world,  and  per 
fectly  understood  the  adroit  proceeding.  "It  is 
beautiful.  This  part  looks  like  the  lobe  of  a  lady's 
ear.  See,  Miss  Feld." 

"It  is  lovely.     I  want  to  get  a  collection  of 


126          THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT 

pretty  shells,"  said  Grace,  who  had  by  this  time 
partially  regained  her  self-possession.  Thus  even 
the  little  shell  served  a  purpose  by  relieving  an 
embarrassment,  which  would  otherwise  have  been 
extreme. 


THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT  127 


CHAPTER  XII. 

When  the  party  returned  to  the  hotel,  Grace, 
exhausted  with  a  hundred  conflicting  emotions, 
immediately  returned  to  her  room.  She  was  fol 
lowed  by  her  mother,  who  ignored  the  scene  at 
the  Rapids. 

"My  darling,"  exclaimed  Mrs.  Feld,  fondly, 
with  a  happy  smile  and  proud  look,  "I  am  the 
bearer  of  pleasant  news  for  you.  I  bring  it  to 
you  with  a  joyous  heart,  hoping  that  you  will  be 
as  happy  as  I  am." 

"To  be  sure,  I  am  happy  when  my  dear  mother 
is.  Tell  me  what  it  is  quickly."  Her  heart  palpi 
tated  wildly,  for  she  dreaded  to  think  in  what 
direction  her  mother's  suggestive  words  were 
drifting. 

"You  know,  dear,"  said  Mrs.  Feld,  tenderly, 
"your  good  and  happiness  have  been  the  aim  of 
my  life.  When  once  I  see  you  not  only  comforta 
bly  but  richly  provided  for,  what  more  can  I 
want?  Grace,  dear,  the  clouds  are  gathering,  the 
storm  may  burst  sooner  than  you  or  I  think." 

"Mother,  storms?" 

"Yes,  child,  storms.  Alone,  I  can  stand  any 
thing  and  everything,  but  for  you  to  be  caught 
in  the  pitiless  rain,  my  child,"  (with  choking 
voice)  "I  could  not  stand  it.  It  would  break  my 
heart.  My  young  life  passed  away  in  poverty, 


128  THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURREN* 

but  you,  who  have  been  accustomed  to  plenty, 
know  nothing  of  its  bitter,  biting  touch.  I  pray 
God  you  never  may.  We  have  been  rich,  and 
maybe  so  now,  but  your  father,  at  his  present 
rate  of  acting,  can  drain  a  gold  mine.  I  wish  you 
could  be  in  a  place  of  shelter  and  security  before 
the  storm  comes,  then  the  Lord's  will  be  done. 
You  hear,  child?" 

"What  does  all  this  mean?" 

"I  tell  you  all  this,  so  that  you  may  put  proper 
value  on  the  offer  and  the  reason  which  makes  me 
beg  you  to  accept  the  honor  of  Mr.  Lavalle's 
hand." 

"He  wishes  to  marry  me!" 

"Yes ;  isn't  that  pleasant  to  think  of?" 

Grace  had  had  no  time  to  reflect  upon  what 
Dr.  Montmartre  had  said  to  her.  She  shuddered 
as  there  loomed  up  before  her  a  sea,  which 
divided  them,  and  that  was  the  sea  of  religion. 

Lavalle  saw  the  waters  between  them,  but  knew 
that  love  had  surmounted  greater  barriers  than 
these,  though  it  presented  so  formidable  a  front ; 
therefore  he  made  haste  to  press  the  question,  for 
fear  of  losing  the  coveted  prize. 

Poor,  timid  Grace  scarcely  knew  what  to  do, 
but  love  gave  her  the  courage  to  answer,  "No, 
mamma,  I  would  rather  think  of  staying  with 
you." 

"Think  well,  dear  child,  of  all  I  told  you.  La 
valle  loves  you." 

"If  he  loves  me,  why  not  propose  himself?  It 
seems  more  noble  than  to  have  it  done  by  proxy." 

"As   for  that,"   replied   her  mother  promptly, 


THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT  129 

"he  only  asked  me  leave  to  sue  for  your  hand  and 
heart.  Words  will  not  fail  him  when  he  tells  you 
of  his  love." 

"It  is  too  sudden.  I  am  entirely  too  young  to 
think  of  marriage." 

"I  know  you  are  very  young,  Grace.  I  told 
him  that  your  age  did  not  yet  fit  you  to  bear  the 
cares  of  married  lift.  He  is  willing  to  wait  six 
months.  Yes,  ready  to  serve,  as  he  says,  'like  Ja 
cob  for  Rachel.'  Only  be  engaged  to  him,  dear; 
he  will  do  anything  and  everything." 

"He  would  soon  want  to  curtail  the  time,  I 
know,  and,  besides,  I  do  not  love  him !" 

"Dear  child,  that  is  not  necessary.  He  loves 
you,  and  you  will  soon  learn  to  love  him.  Don't 
turn  from  a  loving  heart;  give  him  a  favorable 
answer.  I  expect  him  here  soon." 

"Oh,  dear,  what  shall  I  do?  I  have  never 
thought  of  him  in  the  light  of  a  lover,"  added 
Grace  innocently. 

"To  be  sure  not.  You  had  your  thoughts  fixed 
on  Arthur  Montmartre.  Fool  that  I  was  to  al 
low  him  to  come  with  us,  as  if  I  encouraged  such 
a  thing!  If  your  father  had  been  like  another 
man,  this  would  never  have  happened.  But  Mont 
martre  should  be  ashamed  to  take  advantage  of 
your  youth,"  said  Mrs.  Feld,  angrily. 

"Anything  but  that,"  answered  Grace,  reso 
lutely.  "You  do  him  great  injustice,  mother,  to 
accuse  him  of  such  a  thing.  Until  this  morning 
a  word  of  love  never  escaped  his  lips — and  then 
he  did  not  say  much,  for  you  came  and  called 
me." 


130  THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT 

"Oh,  no,  he  is  very  noble.  He  only  took  the 
first  chance  he  could  get  to  tell  you  of  his  love. 
He  should  know  his  love  is  objectionable  to  your 
parents  and  yourself,  too — at  least,  it  should  be." 

"Not  to  me,"  and  Grace  blushed  deeply.  "I  am 
afraid  I  am  more  reprehensible  than  Arthur  is. 
I  think  he  could  read  the  love  of  my  heart  in  my 
tell-tale  eyes,"  her  courage  rising  as  she  defended 
the  honor  of  her  lover. 

"You  are  a  bold  girl  and  a  disobedient  one, 
too,  to  go  contrary  to  your  parents'  wishes.  If, 
as  you  say,  you  are  'too  young'  to  think  of  mar 
riage,  how  should  you  know  whom  to  love  ?  Your 
heart  must  be  a  sensitive  plate  to  fall  in  love  with 
the  first  young  man  you  meet.  I  wish  you  to  rub 
off  everything  that  was  on  it  before  and  write  the 
name  I  tell  you,  now  and  forever,"  said  Mrs.  Feld 
in  a  stern,  deep  voice. 

"I  would  rather  not  marry  at  all.  If  the  storm 
come  which  you  so  much  dread  on  my  account, 
you  will  find  me  at  your  side,  a  good  and  loving 
daughter.  Do  not  fear  for  me." 

"It  is  no  use  to  plead,  my  child.  I  must  cut 
deep  into  this  wound  if  I  am  to  cure  it.  Put  away 
this  foolish  love.  However  good  Arthur  Mont- 
martre  may  be,  he  can  never  be  your  husband, 
and  remember  your  poor  mother,"  added  Mrs. 
Feld,  deluging  Grace  with  kisses  before  she  left 
the  room. 

Grace  was  in  despair.  What  should  she  do ; 
marry  Lavalle,  to  whom  she  was  indifferent,  or 
her  beloved  Arthur,  whom  she  thought  she  loved 
so  passionately,  so  devoutedly?  This  love  took 


THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT  131 

every  moment  a  stronger  root  from  the  opposi 
tion  it  met.  A  wild  thought  invaded  her  brain, 
to  which  she  clung  for  hope  as  tenaciously  as  the 
tempest-tossed  mariner  to  the  plank  of  a  wreck. 

"I  am  sure  if  Arthur  had  the  opportunity,"  she 
mentally  said,  "he  would  finish  the  proposal  of 
marriage  so  suddenly  interrupted,  and  then  for 
my  heaven-born  idea." 

Wearied  with  conflicting  emotions  of  hope  and 
despondency,  Grace  offered  a  silent  prayer  to 
God,  put  on  her  hat  and  passed  quietly  out  of  the 
hotel  for  a  little  stroll.  She  was  not  accustomed 
to  take  walks  without  her  mother's  permission; 
this  action  was  partly  mechanical,  partly  impul 
sive.  A  few  dark  clouds  loomed  upon  the  hori 
zon,  assuming  weird,  fantastic  shapes. 

Grace  had  proceeded  only  a  few  yards  when 
the  object  of  her  thoughts  quietly  joined  her. 

"I  knew  that  you  would  come,  my  darling; 
that  your  soul,  in  its  sympathy  with  mine,  would 
long  for  an  interchange  of  thought.  But  what 
is  the  matter  ?  You  appear  suffering." 

The  face  of  Grace  gave  indications  of  the  in 
ward  struggle,  but  no  answer  came  from  her  pal 
lid  lips. 

"I  am  here,"  continued  Montmartre,  as  he 
gazed  at  her  lovingly,  "to  hear  my  fate  from 
your  sweet  mouth.  I  do  not  even  protest  how 
ardently,  madly  I  love  you,  because  I  think  and 
hope  it  has  been  so  apparent  in  every  word  and 
deed  that  you  must  know  its  intensity.  Come,  I 
wait  your  answer  in  unendurable  suspense  and 
torture.  I  have  your  love,  have  I  not?"  and  he 
looked  steadfastly  into  her  eyes,  which  drooped 


132  THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT 

under  his  longing,  penetrating,  all  absorbing 
look. 

"Pray  do  not  look  at  me  in  that  way,"  cried 
Grace.  "I  cannot  stand  it." 

"Tell  me  instantly,  then,  if  you  will  be  mine  to 
love,  protect  and  cherish  as  the  choicest  blessing 
of  heaven?  for  love  me  you  do,"  said  he,  vehe 
mently. 

"I  do  love  you,"  she  murmured,  in  a  voice  so 
subdued  and  low  that  only  the  winds  and  her 
lover  could  catch  the  sounds.  At  these  words  of 
affirmation  he  would  have  clasped  her  to  his  heart, 
but  a  gentle  wave  of  her  hand  was  sufficient  to 
check  any  outburst  of  feeling. 

"I  can  be  your  wife  only  on  one  condition,"  re 
plied  Grace,  eagerly  and  with  bated  breath. 

When  the  first  consciousness  of  love  for  the 
young  Jewess  dawned  upon  Montmartre's  mind, 
Religion  thrust  herself  forward  with  warning  fin 
ger  and  said,  "Beware,  do  not  come  near  'forbid 
den  fruit.'  "  He  had  so  much  confidence  that  his 
judgment  would  not  allow  him  to  be  carried  away 
by  his  passions  and  that  he  could  restrain  them 
with  the  command,  "Thus  far  shall  ye  go  and  no 
farther,"  that  he  gave  no  heed  to  the  timely  ad 
monition.  But  he  had  not  studied  love,  with  its 
profound,  inexplicable  subtleties. 

"Dear  heart,  love  is  a  tide  which  overwhelms 
everything,  and  which  will  no  more  obey  orders 
than  did  the  tide  the  royal  mandate  of  Canute.  I 
shall  concede  you  not  one  condition,  but  ten  thou 
sand.  You  are  mine,  then."  Again  Montmartre 
wished  to  embrace  her,  and  once  more  a  motion 
of  her  hand  was  sufficient  to  restrain  him. 


THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT  133 

"Take  care,"  answered  Grace,  looking  tenderly 
into  his  eyes  and  putting  her  little  hands  on  his, 
"it  may  be  a  hard  agreement  to  sign,  but  my  life 
of  love  and  devotion  will  prove  to  you  how  I  ap 
preciate  your  offering  at  the  shrine  of  love." 

Still  the  mist  was  not  clear  from  Montmartre's 
eyes.  "Proceed  then,"  and  he  spoke  with  nervous 
impatience,  "that  I  may  the  sooner  comply  with 
your  request." 

"I  shall  tell  you,  but  if  you  regret  it  afterwards, 
I  shall  release  you  from  your  promise.  Only  say 
that  you  will  not  do  it  because  of  the  promise  you 
gave  me." 

"Very  well,  only  let  me  hear  the  momentous 
stipulation." 

"Become  a  Jew,"  said  Grace  in  three  words  and 
in  a  clear  and  distinct  voice. 

"A  Jew!" 

"Yes.  I  am  averse  to  proselytism,  yet  I  want 
to  convert  you.  I  know  you  are  almost  inflexible, 
but  your  warm  love  should  prevail." 

"No,  Grace;  that  cannot  be." 

"Then  you  do  not  love  me." 

"Is  that  a  test  ?  I  will  put  you  in  the  same  cru 
cible  then." 

"I  cannot.  It  would  kill  my  mother.  If  I  take 
a  stilletto  and  stab  her  to  the  heart  death  would 
not  be  more  certain." 

"You  are  not  like  Hinda  of  Moore's  'Fire- 
Worshippers,'  who  says  to  Gheber  Hafed: 

"Together  kneeling,  night  and  day ; 
Thou  for  my  sake,  at  Allah's  shrine, 
And  I — at  any  God's  for  thine !." 


134  THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT 

"Oh,  Grace,  Grace,  can  you  answer  me?" 

"It  is  I  who  await  your  answer.  What  do  you 
say  ?" 

"Never,"  answered  Montmartre  solemnly. 
Grace  drew  coldly  away  and  stood  erect  before 
him,  but  in  a  moment  she  drooped  like  a  blighted 
lily. 

"Here,  Grace,  is  a  knoll  of  rocks.  Sit  down 
and  let  us  talk  over  this  subject.  Now,"  said  he, 
placing  himself  beside  her,  "I  hope  you  will  for 
give  me  for  shocking  your  tenderness  by  that 
stern  word,  'never.'  Both  of  us  worship  one  un 
divided,  inseparable  God.  Neither  acknowledges 
Jesus  as  Divine ;  but  my  religion  places  him  above 
ail  mortals.  In  a  main  point  our  religions  resem 
ble,  viz.,  in  the  worship  of  one  God.  I  am  trying 
to  cast  out  of  my  mind  all  superstition,  all  preju 
dice,  all  illiberality,  and  implant  in  my  heart  a  de 
sire  to  love  all  human  kind  as  brothers  and  sisters 
• — we  are  all  from  one  Father — the  consequent  de 
duction  is  that  from  such  teachings  will  spring  a 
religion  pure  and  good." 

"Do  you  believe  in  Sabbath  worship?" 

"Yes;  the  observance  of  some  day  is  absolutely 
necessary." 

"Where  should  we  pray  ?" 

"Deaa  Grace,  though  the  worship  of  God  under 
the  starry  dome  of  heaven  is  as  acceptable  to  Him 
as  under  the  ceiling  of  a  church  or  synagogue, 
yet,  the  consecration  of  a  building  to  that  one  pur 
pose  assists  in  exalting  the  mind  above  material 
things." 

"Why  not,  why  not,  worship  with  me?"  said 
Grace,  pleadingly. 


THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT  135 

"Our  yearnings  may  be  the  same,  dear  Grace, 
but  to  enter  a  new  church,  take  up  new  cere 
monies,  come  under  a  new  hierarchy,  I  cannot. 
Even  my  great  love  for  you  cannot  make  me  do 
that.  Why  not  be  satisfied  to  marry  me,  if  I  allow 
you  to  observe  all  the  rites  of  your  religion?" 

"My  conscience  might  be  satisfied,"  responded 
Grace,  sadly,  with  tearful  eyes,  "but  my  parents, 
never.  They  would  disinherit  me,  mourn  for  me 
as  for  the  dead." 

"I  dare  not  ask  you  to  break  the  fifth  com 
mandment,  but  shall  try  and  encourage  you  to 
bear  your  lot  cheerfully,  which  I  can  scarcely  do 
myself,"  and  he  averted  his  head  that  Grace  might 
not  see  the  mighty  struggle  love  was  making  to 
overcome  his  resolutions.  When  he  turned  his 
face  towards  her  again,  his  look  was  sad,  but  com 
posed. 

"I  trust  that  something  will  turn  up  so  that  we 
can  be  united.  At  present  all  appears  dark." 

"As  I  know  you  love  me,  I  cannot  give  you  up," 
said  Grace  impetuously,  and  blushing  violently. 
"You  are  my  sun,  and  when  you  are  gone  there 
will  be  nothing  for  me  but  night." 

"Grace,  you  stir  me  to  the  depths  of  my  heart. 
My  love  is  greater  than  you  know.  If  God  has 
ordained  that  we  must  part,  our  souls,  though 
afar,  will  be  one ;  for  never  will  these  lips  of  mine 
speak  love  to  another  woman.  You  are  very 
young  and  may  learn  to  love  another,  but  I,  al 
though  in  the  prime  of  manhood,  have  passed 
those  halcyon  days  when  man's  heart  is  inflamed 
with  every  handsome  face  and  graceful  form. 
But  you !  It  is  hard  to  think  other  arms  will  en- 


136  THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT 

fold  you,  another  walk  with  you  to  the  dark  wa 
ters—Oh,  it  is  bitter,  bitter!"' 

"Alas!  I  am  already  told  to  love  another,  as  if 
love  were  a  football  to  toss,  at  command,  from 
one  to  another,  and  not  something  which  con 
cerns  the  happiness  of  one's  life." 

"Lavalle?"  said  Dr.  Montmartre,  in  a  scarcely 
audible  voice. 

"Yes,  it  is  he." 

"Religion,  the  consoler  of  man,  has  stepped  in 
and  robbed  me  of  my  heart's  delight." 

"Beware,"  returned  Grace,  "do  not  blaspheme. 
Religion  is  always  a  support  in  our  weakest  and 
darkest  hours."  The  evidence  of  despondency  on 
his  part  rendered  her  more  resolute  and  coura 
geous. 

"True  religion,  consisting  in  the  worship  of 
God,  with  a  heart  full  of  charity  and  love  for 
every  one,  elevates  man  to  the  highest  standard 
of  earthly  perfection.  Ceremonies  are  but  fet 
ters,  binding  us  to  the  narrow  and  petty.  Now, 
for  cold  forms  of  religion,  you  must  tear  this  love 
out  of  your  heart  and  immolate  it  for  another." 

"Never  shall  I  consent  that  another  take  your 
place  in  my  heart.  Though  I  cannot  marry  you, 
I  shall  never  marry  another." 

"Do  not  talk,"  and  he  laughed  scornfully. 
"Your  mother,  as  you  say,  has  already  proposed 
another  lover  to  you,  and  I  am  afraid  ere  the 
sun  comes  twice  to  the  meridian  you  will  be  his 
betrothed ;  then  every  thought  you  bestow  upon 
me  will  be  sacrilege.  Here  religion  is  more  pow 
erful  than  love." 

"With  you,  too,"  rejoined  Grace.    "I  blush  for 


THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT  137 

my  maiden  modesty  in  declaring  to  you  the 
depths  of  my  love." 

"Fear  not.  Have  I  not  laid  my  heart  bare? 
Though  you  have  refused  me  with  much  con 
sideration  and  tenderness,  the  wound  is  none  the 
less  deep." 

"I  know  it.  Oh,  misery,  that  I  should  hurt 
your  feelings,"  sobbed  Grace. 

"I  must  not,  cannot,  much  beloved  one,  give 
you  up,  without  making  a  desperate  appeal  to 
your  mother,  and  then,  and  then,"  said  he  with 
an  effort,  "I  shall  be  your  brother." 

And  this  was  the  man  of  whom  many  of  his 
friends  said,  "He  will  soon  be  no  Unitarian,  but 
an  atheist." 

Montmartre  possessed  a  precious  jewel,  the 
nobility  of  soul,  which  evoked  him  to  steer  clear 
of  infringing  one  iota  upon  the  filial  duty  of  the 
girl  he  loved,  almost  worshipped.  She  was  here 
after  to  be  enshrined  in  his  heart  as  something 
sacred. 

As  Montmartre  pronounced  the  word  "brother," 
they  were  startled  by  flashes  of  lightning,  roll 
ing  of  thunder  and  rushing  of  wind.  Large 
drops  of  rain  began  to  fall.  In  their  fervid  and 
excited  state  of  mind,  they  had  not  observed  the 
approaching  indications  of  a  heavy  storm. 

"Come,  we  must  hurry  back  to  the  hotel,"  and 
Dr.  Montmartre  tucked  the  arm  of  Grace  under 
his  and  made  rapid  strides  homeward. 

"It  seems,"  said  Grace,  "as  if  heaven  forbids 
any  relationship  between  us.  God  may  show  us 
his  displeasure  through  the  thunder  and  lightning 
of  the  storm." 


138  THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT 

"Grace,  how  superstitious  of  you  to  say  so. 
No,  we  should  not  give  the  elements  any  such 
inauspicious  interpretation." 

"My  dress  is  well  sprinkled,  but  we  are  at 
home  now.  There  stands  mother  on  the  ve 
randa!  She  looks  excited." 

Mrs.  Feld's  distress  and  perplexity  had  been 
extreme.  When  going  to  the  room  of  Grace  and 
not  finding  hw  there,  she  was  apprehensive  that 
there  had  been  an  elopement.  Had  Dr.  Mont- 
martre  endeavored  to  induce  Grace  to  consent  to 
a  marriage  in  opposition  to  her  parents'  wishes, 
no  one  could  have  told  the  result.  She  was  of 
an  easy,  vacillating  disposition,  one  moment  an 
optimist  and  the  next,  almost  before  she  could 
take  in  fresh  breath,  a  pessimist.  To  her  young 
mind  creation  was  some  unintelligible,  mysteri 
ous  entity,  whose  laws  were  erratic  and  at  times 
adverse  to  human  happiness.  The  nights  and 
mornings  of  her  life  came  fitfully,  reflecting  only 
the  lights  and  shades  of  her  mind. 

Mrs.  Feld  met  poor  Grace  with  a  lowering 
brow,  and  in  a  harsh  voice  said  to  her,  "What  on 
earth  made  you  go  out  in  this  weather  ?" 

"It  was  pleasant  when  I  went  out,"  Grace  ven 
tured  to  say. 

"Couldn't  you  see  it  was  going  to  storm  ?" 

"I  did  not  notice.  I  am  sure  I  meant  to  be 
back  soon." 

"Never  mind,  excuses  are  nothing.  Go  to  your 
room." 

Grace  blushed  scarlet  and  hurried  off. 

"Mrs.  Feld,"  said  Montmartre,  "do  not  re 
proach  your  daughter.  She  would  not  have  been 


THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT  139 

caught  in  the  rain  had  I  not  detained  her  to  ask 
her  a  question  which,  with  due  filial  reverence, 
she  and  I  leave  to  your  authority.  Come,  allow 
me,"  and  taking  her  arm  he  led  her  into  her  sit 
ting  room,  and  then  resumed,  "Let  me  add  to 
that  question  my  entreaties  and  prayers  to  give 
me  your  daughter  and  make  me  one  of  the  happi 
est  of  men."  He  finished  the  sentence  with  a  be 
seeching  look  and  respectfully  kissed  her  hand. 

Mrs.  Feld  instantaneoa^Jy  dashed  his  hand 
from  hers,  and  strode  up  and  down  the  room,  so 
great  was  her  agitation,  exclaiming:  "What  un 
heard  of  boldness,  both  from  you  and  her.  I 
told  that  girl  what  she  had.  to  do.  Does  she 
think  that  you,  wild  your  fine  speeches,  can  beg 
me  off?  Indeed,  you  shall  not." 

"Listen  to  me,"  said  Montmartre,  following 
her  up  and  down  the  room,  which  put  rather  a 
comical  aspect  on  the  affair.  "Nothing  but  our 
mutual  love  drives  me  to  implore  you  to  consent 
to  our  marriage." 

"The  marriage  is  impossible." 

"You  will  not  be  so  cruel  as  to  divide  two  lov 
ing  hearts?" 

"It  is  not  cruelty ;  only  what  is  right.  In  after 
years  you  will  thank  me  for  this." 

"Thank  you  for  breaking  my  heart?  I  believe 
not,  Mrs.  Feld." 

"Dr.  Montmartre,  allow  me  to  tell  you,  it  takes 
long  years  to  break  hearts.  You  will  not  break 
yours.  So  don't  think  of  it  any  more." 

"I  must.     If  not,  then " 

"Do  you  mean  to  say  you  will  have  the  girl  at 


140  THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT 

all  events?"  said  Mrs.  Feld,  stopping  suddenly 
and  gazing  at  him  defiantly. 

"Never,"  returned  the  young  man  firmly,  "will 
my  love  lead  me  to  dishonor  the  most  sacred  pre 
cepts  of  man  and  God,  'Honor  thy  father  and 
thy  mother.'  " 

Mrs.  Feld's  anger  was  mollified  by  Dr.  Mont- 
martre's  high  sense  of  honor,  still  she  frigidly 
answered:  "I  must  refuse  you.  You  know  the 
line  that  separates  you." 

j  "I'm  fully  aware  of  the  barrier  to  which  you 
refer,  but  it  is  not  impossible;  it  can  be  crossed. 
It  is  only  an  imaginary  one,  my  dear  Mrs.  Feld." 

"Pray  tell  me  how  it  can  be  crossed  ?" 

"Because  Grace  can  practice  all  the  rites  of  her 
religion.  I  honor  and  revere  the  Jewish  religion. 
It  was  the  first  true  religion,  because  the  Jewish 
people  were  the  first  to  worship  one  God.  As  we 
cannot  conceive  in  what  shape  God  exists  and 
you  worship  a  Supreme  Being,  you  are  as  right 
on  that  point  as  any  one ;  so  far  we  can  sing 
hosannas  to  the  same  King  of  kings  and  Lord  of 
lords." 

"A  Protestant  minister  with  a  Jewish  wife," 
laughed  Mrs.  Feld.  "It  sounds  well,  doesn't  it?" 

"For  the  sake  of  dear  Grace,  I  shall  do  much. 
I  will  renounce  the  vocation  of  my  life,  the  min 
istry,  which  is  so  congenial  to  my  taste." 

"No,  it  will  not  do.  In  a  few  years  there 
would  be  quarrels  about  religion  any  way.  All 
this  fine  talk  about  love  won't  keep  them  away, 
and  you  would  be  sorry  when  too  late." 

"But  I  assure  you,  my  dear  madam,  Grace 
shall  have  perfect  liberty  to  believe  and  act  as 


THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT  141 

she  pleases.  I  shall  swear  on  the  Holy  Book,  if 
necessary,  that  I  shall  never  interfere  with  her 
religious  belief." 

"I  say  no.  You  are  not  a  Jew,  and  though  I 
am  not  Orthodox,  keeping  almost  nothing,  still 
my  heart  is  a  Jewish  one  and  beats  for  Judaism. 
If  you  were  a  Jew,"  and  Mrs.  Feld  thought  of 
her  own  lax  method  of  devotion,  "you  might 
keep  the  religion  as  little  as  you  pleased  or  not 
at  all ;  it  would  make  no  difference.  But  as  it  is, 
never.  I  beg  of  you  to  end  this  talk.  Go  and 
forget  her." 

"I  cannot  forget  her,  I  tell  you.  Grace  loves 
me,  too,  and  cannot  be  happy  either  without  me." 

"Dr.  Montmartre,  don't  trouble  yourself  about 
Grace.  Before  twice  twenty- four  hours  go  by 
she  will  be  engaged  to  one  of  my  choice,  and  an 
engagement  with  us  is  sacred.  I  ask  of  you,  in 
the  goodness  of  your  heart,  to  spare  her  the  mis 
ery  of  any  more  visits  or  walks,  as  she  is  so  soon 
to  be  solemnly  betrothed  to  another." 

"Fear  not.  Only  allow  me  to  see  her  once 
alone,  and  then  I  shall  bid  farewell  to  all  here." 

"You  can  see  her  only  in  my  presence.  You 
must  have  nothing  to  say  to  her  that  every  one 
cannot  hear." 

"Just  once  more." 

"You  have  had  my  answer." 

"Inexorable  woman,  I  submit  to  your  terms." 

Mrs.  Feld  called  Grace,  who  came  in  with  a 
tear-stained  face.  She  asked  no  questions.  Her 
mother's  determined  expression  and  her  lover's 
sorrowful  one  told  her  that  her  doom  was  sealed. 
She  began  to  cry  softly. 


142  THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT 

"Dr.  Montmartre,  please  say  what  you  have  to 
say  quickly.  I  hate  scenes,"  and  Mrs.  Feld 
turned  her  face  to  the  window. 

"Do  not  grieve  so,"  said  Dr.  Montmartre  to 
Grace  in  a  low,  tender  voice.  He  did  not  attempt 
to  take  her  hand.  "It  is  best  to  submit  to  the  in 
evitable.  Obey  your  mother.  Some  unexpected 
event  may  occur  to  bring  us  together.  If  there 
should  ever  be  the  least  possibility  of  such  a 
thing,  let  no  false  delicacy  prevent  you  from 
sending  me  the  blessed  news.  If  it  be  a  month 
or  a  century,  I  shall  ever  be  ready  to  answer  the 
summons.  You  know  my  address.  Probably 
you  will  be  so  kind  as  to  write  occasionally  to 
Laura — who  loves  you  with  all  the  affection  of  a 
sister — and  let  me  know  if  you  are  well  and 
happy." 

"Never  happy." 

"Be  happy  if  you  can.  Throw  not  God's  gift 
of  life  and  pleasure  away.  One  may  'commit 
suicide  with  dark  and  melancholy  thoughts.'  " 

"My  poor  heart  is  breaking,"  cried  Grace. 

"Dry  your  tears  and  be  hopeful,  and  forget 
the  misery  I  have  unintentionally  caused  you. 
Think  of  me  kindly  and,  farewell.  Forgive  me," 
Dr.  Montmartre  murmured,  as  he  took  her  in  his 
arms  and  clasped  her  to  his  heart,  leaving  glow 
ing,  burning  kisses  on  her  brow,  and  was  gone. 

It  was  so  sudden  and  unexpected  that  Grace 
could  not  resist.  Mrs.  Feld,  though  her  face  red 
dened  with  anger,  had  no  time  to  give  vent  to  the 
angry  expostulations  which  rose  to  her  lips. 
Grace,  who  would  have  preferred  to  face  the 


THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT  143 

storm  without  to  the  one  within,  rose,  saying, 
"I  shall  be  back  soon,  mother." 

"Where  are  you  going ;  to  Laura's  room  ?  Stay 
here,  you  foolish  girl.  Don't  try  to  speak  to 
brother  or  sister  unless  I  am  with  you.  Dry 
your  tears.  Make  yourself  smile  for  the  man 
who  is  soon  to  be  your  accepted  lover.  Grace, 
you  will  in  a  short  time  be  engaged  to  one  of  the 
grandest  of  men.  Do  your  best  to  please." 

"It  is  hard  to  ask  me  now  to  wreathe  my  face 
in  smiles.  Can  I  not  remain  unmarried — at  least 
for  the  present?  Why  this  haste?"  Grace  felt 
her  courage  oozing  through  every  pore  at  the 
pressure  of  her  mother's  compulsory  words. 

"I  am  actually  worn  out  with  you.  If  you  ac 
cept  Lavalle  willingly,  you  need  not  marry  before 
six  months,  though  I  detest  long  engagements, 
as  they  often  end  in  disappointments."  Say 
ings  are  sometimes  prophetic.  "Then  I  know 
you  will  have  thought  better  of  this  foolish  love ; 
if  not,  you  shall  marry  immediately.  I  can't  see 
what  you  want.  You  will  have  elegant  diamonds, 
splendid  house  on  Fifth  Avenue,  coach  and  four, 
footman  and  livery — think  of  it — and  mix  with 
the  best." 

"Can  display  and  society  recompense  me  for 
what  I  have  lost?"  moaned  Grace. 

"You  have  lost  nothing;  only  think  of  the 
gain.  What  a  fortune  you  will  have  with  La 
valle!  You  will  travel  over  Europe,  and  even 
there,  where  money  is  not  everything  like 
here,  your  husband's  wealth  and  name  will  open 
all  doors  for  you.  Think  what  Letitia  would 


144  THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT 

give  to  get  such  a  man — but  here  comes  your 
father." 

"Oh,  papa,  dear,  I  am  so  glad  you  have  come. 
You  will  not  make  me  marry  Mr.  Lavalle,"  and 
Grace  went  to  embrace  him,  but  almost  staggered 
at  his  wild  eyes  and  excited  appearance. 

"What  is  to  do  here?"  spoke  Mr.  Feld  gruffly. 
Formerly,  when  half-inebriated,  he  had  only  ten 
derness  for  his  daughter ;  his  irritable  words  he 
generally  showered  upon  his  wife.  Only  when 
totally  intoxicated  or  extremely  annoyed,  did  he 
vent  his  ill-humor  by  deed  or  word  upon  her. 

At  his  harshness  her  courage  ebbed  away,  and 
it  was  all  she  could  do  to  refrain  from  tears. 
"Dear  father,  I  do  not  want  to  get  married." 

Before  Mr.  Feld  could  reply,  Mrs.  Feld  mock 
ingly  said,  "Her  heart  is  set  on  Montmartre." 

This  was  more  than  Grace  could  bear.  The 
tears  gathered  in  her  eyes,  notwithstanding  her 
endeavors  to  repress  them ;  she  knew  that  they 
always  provoked  her  father.  Mr.  Feld  never 
could  see  why  women  should  cry  unless  mal 
treated.  Tears  were  a  personal  reflection  and  re 
proach  to  him. 

"I  tell  you,  girl,"  and  Mr.  Feld's  voice  was 
hoarse  with  passion,  "you  should  thank  heaven 
for  the  chance.  Accept  Lavalle  immediately,  for 
I  have  lost  forty  thousand  dollars  by  the  trump  of 
the  card."  His  fist  came  down  heavily  upon  the 
table;  then,  in  a  sorrowful  voice,  he  resumed,  "I 
want  my  little  girl  well  taken  care  of,  and  La 
valle  can  do  that." 

At  the  announcement  of  the  loss,  the  mother 
and  daughter  simultaneously  uttered  a  cry  of  de- 


H5 

spair.  Mr.  Feld  would  not  have  confessed  his 
loss  then  and  there,  had  he  not  thought  that  the 
fact  would  compel  Grace  to  marry  Lavalle. 

"It  is  no  use,  Ruth,  for  you  to  raise  your  hands 
that  way,  for  you  know  full  well  if  we  had  stayed 
at  home  things  would  have  been  different.  Here 
everything  is  done  on  a  grand  scale,  and  I  must 
follow.  You  want  to  be  stylish,  takes  money,  I 
tell  you." 

"Henry,"  replied  his  wife,  "I  may  make  mis 
takes,  but  they  are  simple  and  few.  But  you, 
with  your  terrible  habits,  bring  us  down.  We 
will  be  ruined  I  know." 

"Yes,  my  lady,  it  is  now  as  always.  You  make 
it  and  keep  it  too  hot  here.  I  must  be  off  to  meet 
a  friend.  It  is  late  already." 

"Henry,  you  dare  not  go." 

"Ruth,  you  should  know  by  this  time  hard 
words  never  kept  me  from  doing  what  I  wanted 
to,"  said  Mr.  Feld,  taking  his  hat  and  violently 
slamming  the  door  after  him. 

Meanwhile  the  storm  had  ceased,  the  clouds 
were  drifting,  the  birds  singing  their  sweetest 
carols,  the  drooping  autumnal  flowers  lifted  their 
heads ;  all  nature  rejoiced  at  having  quenched  her 
thirst. 


146          THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

Grace,  concluding  that  her  thread  of  fate  had 
been  woven  for  her,  did  not  struggle  to  break  it, 
but  wept  over  the  inevitable,  and  meekly  folding 
her  hands,  said,  "What  will  be,  will  be."  She 
had  lost  all  hope.  Her  father's  return  to  drink, 
his  heavy  loss  at  the  gaming  table,  his  joy  at  La- 
valle's  proposal,  all  combined  to  make  her  sub 
mit.  At  no  point  on  the  horizon  at  present  could 
she  discover  a  ray  of  hope  for  the  future.  So 
utterly  dark  had  all  things  become. 

The  following  day  Laura  entered  Mrs.  Feld's 
room  to  bid  her  good-bye,  as  she  and  her  brother 
were  going  home,  saying  her  brother  had  a  let 
ter  a  few  days  previous  from  his  congregation, 
in  which  they  expressed  an  earnest  wish  for  his 
return.  The  minister  had  received  a  letter,  and 
Laura,  touched  to  the  heart  by  his  misery,  took 
advantage  of  it  to  urge  him  return  home,  where 
his  lacerated  feelings  might  heal. 

"I  owe  you  and  your  brother  many  thanks, 
Miss  Montmartre,  for  your  kindness.  If  I  have 
caused  him : 

"No  more,"  cried  Laura,  interrupting  her,  "the 
subject  is  too  painful.  Where  is  Grace?" 

"I  will  call  her,"  said  Mrs.  Feld,  sadly.  She 
opened  the  door  of  an  inner  room  and  beckoned 
Grace  to  come. 


THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT  147 

"Why,  Grace,"  said  Laura,  clasping  her  in  her 
arms,  "are  you  not  glad  to  see  me?" 

"Laura,"  sobbed  Grace. 

"Courage,  my  dear,"  replied  Laura,  while  the 
tears  swam  in  her  own  eyes,  "Arthur  will  never 
forget  you,"  she  whispered.  This  was  not  a 
great  consolation  to  Grace,  who  was  incapable  of 
making  the  least  effort  to  save  herself  from 
misery. 

"Well,"  continued  Laura,  in  a  low  tone,  "I  am 
waiting.  "Have  you  a  message?" 

Grace  shook  her  head  in  the  negative. 

Laura's  arm  unclasped  and  she  added,  "Proba 
bly  you  are  right,  Grace,  but  he  does  love  you  so 
much." 

"I  know  it,  I  know  it,"  moaned  Grace. 

"Good-bye,"  Laura  kissed  her  repeatedly, 
shook  hands  hurriedly  with  Mrs.  Feld,  and  was 
gone. 

Montmartre,  true  to  his  word,  though  it  wrung 
his  heart  to  keep  it,  saw  Grace  no  more.  She 
watched  his  and  Laura's  departure  from  the  win 
dow  in  her  room. 

"Gone,  gone,"  was  the  cry  of  Grace.  "I  shall 
see  him  no  more.  Before  to-morrow  evening  I 
shall  be  affianced  to  another  and  then  must  not — 
Arthur  said  so  himself — think  of  him  any  more. 
Oh,  I  love  him  so  much,"  and  she  wept  bitterly. 
Childlike,  she  cried  herself  to  sleep. 

"Awake,  my  child,  awake.  See  how  brightly 
the  sun  shines  in  your  window  on  your  engage 
ment  day.  My,  what  a  girl!  You  did  not  un 
dress  last  night.  Come,  hurry  up,  Mr.  Lavalle 


148  THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT 

will  soon  be  waiting  in  the  parlor  for  you  to  hear 
the  word  'yes'  from  your  own  lips." 

Grace,  at  her  mother's  call,  jumped  up  laugh 
ing,  when  instantly  her  mind  reverted  to  the 
painful  trial  she  had  undergone,  momentarily 
blotted  out  by  "nature's  sweet  restorer." 

"Mother,  I  need  not  be  in  such  a  hurry.  I  am 
sleepy  and  tired." 

"You  can't  be  sleepy,  Grace.  Here,  change 
your  dress.  Go  to  work  quickly.  Now,  for  your 
ribbons,"  and  Mrs.  Feld  stood  by  her,  urging, 
assisting,  and  bidding  her  "hurry,"  until  finally 
her  toilet  was  completed. 

After  a  light  breakfast  Grace  went  into  the 
private  parlor. 

"My  dear  Miss  Feld,"  said  Lavalle,  "I  have 
been  anxiously  waiting  for  you.  I  am  afraid  I 
have  disturbed  you.  It  is  only  ten  o'clock,"  said 
he,  looking  at  his  watch,  "but  I  hope  you  will  ex 
cuse  me  for  calling  so  early;  my  impatience  was 
too  great  to  wait  until  a  later  hour." 

Grace,  not  knowing  what  to  say,  or,  rather, 
what  was  required  of  her,  said,  "No  disturbance 
at  all." 

"Come,  sit  down  on  this  sofa,"  added  Lavalle. 
"So  now  give  me  your  hand.  I  want  to  stop 
your  trembling.  You  are  not  frightened  of  me, 
are  you?" 

"I  do  not  know  whether  I  should  be  or  not.  I 
do  not  think  I  am,"  she  returned. 

"To  be  sure  you  are  not.  You  have  no  cause. 
I  am  sure,  Grace,  dear,  I  may  call  you  by  that 
name,  may  I  not?"  asked  Lavalle. 

"Yes,"  she  answered,  slightly  smiling. 


THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT  149 

"Grace,  we  are  coming  to  a  very  good  under 
standing.  If  you  will  only  say  'Yes'  to  another 
little  question  I  am  going  to  ask,  you  will  be  the 
sweetest,  the  most  charming  girl  in  the  world. 
Grace,"  said  he  with  earnestness,  "you  will  not 
refuse  me?" 

"I  am  sure — oh,  I  do  not  know  what  you 
want." 

"I  will  tell  you,  dearest,  what  I  want — I  want 
you.  With  you  in  my  possession,  I  shall  have 
gained  a  priceless  treasure.  Will  you  entrust 
yourself  to  me?  For  heaven's  sake,  speak.  It  is 
not  hard  to  say  'Yes.'  Try  if  you  cannot  articu 
late  it."  But  Grace  remaining  mute,  he  resumed, 
"Ah !  I  love  you  so  dearly  that  you  must — that 
you  will  say  'Yes.'  I  am  waiting."  He  looked 
with  eager  eyes  into  her  face. 

"Yes,"  came  slowly  from  the  lips  of  Grace. 
She  turned  deathly  white. 

Lavalle  clasped  her  in  his  arms,  murmuring, 
as  he  kissed  her,  "Mine,  mine  forever." 

The  tears  stole  down  the  cheeks  of  Grace.  She 
was  thinking  of  Dr.  Montmartre's  misery  and 
Lavalle's  happiness;  of  the  former's  anguish  in 
his  unlicensed  embrace  of  yesterday,  of  the  lat- 
ter's  triumph  in  his  privileged  one  of  to-day. 

"Dear  Grace,  why  these  tears  ?  Are  your  emo 
tions  too  deep  for  utterance?" 

Grace  made  no  reply,  but  her  tears  continued 
to  flow. 

"Just  give  me  a  few  words;  for  instance,  say, 
'I  love  you.'  I  want  to  hear  how  it  sounds  from 
your  lips,"  said  Lavalle,  charmed  with  a  coyness 
so  full  of  maiden  modesty. 


150  THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT 

"Will  you  not  wait  a  little?" 

"If  it  please  you,  of  course  I  shall.  I  am  your 
slave,  you  know.  You  may  smile,  though,  will 
you  not?"  added  Lavalle,  gayly.  "I  love  to  bask 
in  the  sunshine  of  woman's  smile.  'The  earth 
was  sad,  the  garden  was  a  wild,  And  man  the 
hermit  sighed,  till  woman  smiled.' ':  How  true 
seemed  Campbell's  beautiful  lines  to  him  then! 

A  half -smile  broke  over  Grace's  features,  but  it 
ended  in  a  little  sob.  The  sob  was  a  tribute  to 
the  memory  of  a  first  love,  now  dashed  forever 
away  by  this  forced,  sudden  acceptance  of  a  sec 
ond.  What  human  contrivance  could  now  span 
the  distance  that  separated  her  from  Montmar- 
tre? 

In  a  short  time  Mrs.  Feld  came  in.  Lavalle 
arose  with  Grace  on  his  arm,  saying,  with  spark 
ling  face  and  beaming  eyes:  "Dear  madam,  kiss 
your  daughter  and  then  kiss  me,  your  son-in-law- 
elect.  A  cloudless  sky  without,  sunshine  a'nd 
serenity  within,  what  a  future  opens  before  us ! 
Grace  will  never  repent  this  step." 

"I  am  sure  not,"  replied  Mrs.  Feld  warmly. 
"My  husband  and  I  cannot  be  too  thankful  for 
such  a  son-in-law.  You  are  all  that  we  could 
wish  for  the  husband  of  our  darling  girl.  God 
bless  you  both." 

Mr.  Feld  was  in  ecstasies  at  the  new  prospect, 
the  more  so  as  his  own  fortune  would  soon  be 
gone.  "Ruth,  you  deserve  a  compliment.  No 
other  woman  is  as  smart  as  you  are.  This  is  what 
I  call  doing  things  up  neat.  Ha,  ha,  ha !  you  are 


THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT  151 

better  than  a  deal  of  cards  full  of  trumps,"  and 
he  boisterously  kissed  her. 

They  all  left  the  next  day  for  New  York.  Mr. 
Lavalle  had  no  relatives  there,  but  he  had  numer 
ous  friends,  and  the  betrothal  was  celebrated  in 
the  style  befitting  his  princely  fortune.  He  lav 
ished  upon  Grace  presents  of  the  rarest  precious 
stones.  The  most  of  her  trousseau  was  to  come 
from  Paris,  that  depot  of  fashion  so  dear  to 
woman's  heart. 

"Grace,"  said  Lavalle,  "I  have  taken  a  box  for 
the  theater  to-night." 

"What  are  they  going  to  play?" 

"The  Merchant  of  Venice — I  suppose  you  have 
seen  it,  have  you?" 

"No,  I  havi,  not.  I  am  afraid  I  shall  not  like 
it,"  replied  Grace. 

"Because  it  refers  to  the  Jews?  Well,  we  sim 
ply  go  to  see  a  famous  actor  delineate  a  charac 
ter.  We  read  now  in  the  Italian  story  that  the 
original  Shylock  was  not  the  Jew  that  Shakes 
peare  made  him,  but  a  Jew  to  fit  in  with  the  pre 
judices  of  the  times — if  he  had  been,  that  would 
not  prevent  me  or  you  either,  I  hope,  from  going 
to-night.  Be  ready  on  time,  as  I  do  not  wish  to 
miss  one  word." 

At  the  appointed  time  Lavalle  came,  and  when 
they  arrived  at  the  theater,  the  house  was  densely 
crowded. 

As  Jessica  came  upon  the  stage,  Grace  said: 
"William,  can  you  approve  of  such  a  daughter? 
For  heaven's  sake,  tell  me  quickly.  What  do  you 
think?" 

"To  be  sure  not.    The  ingratitude  of  a  child  'is 


'152 

sharper  than  a  serpent's  tooth.'  But  what  makes 
you  so  agitated?  You  do  not  need  to  trouble 
yourself  on  that  score." 

"I  read  the  Merchant  of  Venice,  and  was 
thinking  of  what  she  will  do.  She  commits  two 
sins,  she  steals  and  marries  against  her  father's 
wish.  Is  it  a  crime  for  a  father  to  cry  out  in  de 
spair  and  anger  against  a  daughter  who  has  de 
serted,  deceived  and  robbed  him?" 

"No,  certainly  not.  Do  not  think  so  much  now, 
my  dear,  look  on  the  stage."  Subsequently,  La- 
valle  said,  "Shylock  will  now  demand  the  pound 
of  flesh." 

"Gracious  heavens!  Shylock  makes  me  ner 
vous.  He  is  so  sordid,  so  covetous,  so  money- 
loving,  so  revengeful,  that  such  a  person  cannot 
be  a  man ;  he  must  be  a  vampire  to  want  a  man's 
blood  for  ducats." 

"Grace,  I  am  surprised  at  you.  Here  you  are 
shrinking  and  shuddering  as  if  it  were  indeed 
true." 

"Do  you  think  it  never  happened?  See,  they 
are  pelting  the  miserable  Jew  off  the  stage !"  and 
Grace  covered  her  face  with  her  hands  and 
leaned  back  in  her  chair. 

"Why,  my  dear  girl,  that  is  an  honor  to  the 
actor.  The  audience  is  electrified  by  his  superb 
acting  and  triumphant  genius.  They  think  they 
have  a  real,  live  Jew  there.  Here,  do  not  be  so 
timid.  Uncover  your  face — there." 

"I  tell  you,"  said  Grace  excitedly,  "I  would 
rather  be  dead  than  think  that  God  had  made  men 
of  my  race  so  despicable,  so  destitute  of  all  feel 
ings  of  humanity." 


THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT  153 

"To  my  view  of  thinking,  Shylock  is  not  so 
mercenary  as  the  world  generally  believes,  other 
wise  he  would  have  taken  the  ducats  for  the 
pound  of  flesh.  He  is  no  longer  the  money 
lender,  'glittering  in  his  cold-heartedness  as  steel,' 
but  he  rises  to  the  dignity  of  the  avenger.  It  is 
the  flesh  he  wants — vengeance  for  the  wounding 
of  his  most  tender  susceptibilities,  vengeance  for 
the  insults,  abuse  and  ridicule  heaped  upon  him 
and  his  race.  Shylock  is  only  debased  when  he 
accepts  his  life  as  the  price  of  his  concession. 
You  must  not  forget  that  all  denominations  and 
nationalities  produce  monsters.  I  am  a  Jew;  am 
I  one  like  Shylock  appears  to  the  Christian  mind  ? 
No,  I  am  like  many  others,  liking  the  rosy  path 
of  flowers  and  loving  the  dear  little  girl  I  have 
chosen  with  all  my  heart.  You  are  morbid  in 
your  sensitiveness." 

"I  wish  never  to  see  this  play  again." 

"I  shall  not  take  you,  of  that  you  may  rest  as 
sured.  We  shall  go  home  now."  Grace  gave  La- 
valle  a  grateful  look. 

"Dear  mother,"  said  Grace,  the  day  after  the 
scene  at  the  theater,  "William  is  very  kind." 

"Kind,  is  it?"  returned  her  mother.  "He  is 
the  best  man  in  the  world.  See  what  he  gives 
you.  You  have  everything  that  your  heart  can 
wish  for." 

"I  am  afraid  I  can  never  return  all  this,"  said 
Grace,  reflectively. 

"Yes,  you  can,  my  child,"  said  her  mother,  lay 
ing  her  hand  gently  on  the  shoulder  of  Grace. 
"Love  him  with  all  your  soul.  That  is  all  the  pay 
a  good  man  wants." 


154  THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT 

"I  love  him  a  little  already.  It  is  strange  how 
a  new  love  can  be  so  soon  kindled  on  the  old.  I 
did  not  think  it  could  be,"  said  Grace,  in  the  sim 
plicity  of  her  heart.  Truly  she  did  not  know  her 
self  yet 

"You  just  keep  on  trying  to  love  Lavalle.  I  do 
not  think  you  will  find  it  a  very  hard  matter.  You 
have  not  looked  over  all  he  sent  you  to-day.  I 
think  you  will  be  able  to  start  a  dry-goods  and 
jewelry  store." 

"Let  me  see  them;  I  love  beautiful  things,"  and 
Grace,  who  had  all  the  Oriental  taste  for  splen 
dor,  laughed  gleefully. 

"You  like  these  things  very  much,  I  know.  So 
you  must " 

"Admire  the  giver,  mother?  I  think  I  shall. 
Lavalle  is  ever  tender,  never  obtrusive." 

The  weeks  drifted  by  and  December  had  fairly 
set  in,  when  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Feld  decided  to  return 
to  their  home  in  Missouri. 

"William,"  exclaimed  Grace  to  Lavalle,  "I  do 
not  believe  I  shall  be  able  to  wait  until  you  come." 
Even  as  she  spoke  a  remembrance  of  Dr.  Mont- 
martre  shot  through  her  mind,  revealing  the  in 
constancy  of  her  nature. 

"You  are  aware  that  it  is  your  parents'  desire, 
but  only  say  the  word  now,  my  darling,  and  I  am 
with  you.  It  is  a  long  time  to  May.  I  think 
your  parents  imposed  a  very  hard  condition  upon 
me.  I  shall  try  and  induce  them  to  absolve  me 
from  my  promise." 

"No,  no ;  the  time  is  not  too  long.  I  shall  en 
dure  your  absence,"  said  Grace. 

"Please  do  not  say  that.    I  shall  feel  better  to 


THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT  155 

think  that  you  are  anxiously  waiting,  impatiently 
longing  to  see  me.  As  to  letters,  write  me  two  a 
day,  so  that  if  one  miscarry,  I  may  at  least  get 
one." 

"How  many  will  you  write?" 
"I  shall  give  you  'measure  for  measure.'  " 
"Indeed,"    said    Mrs.    Feld,    coming    in    un 
observed,  "if  she  should  fail  to  get  letters  regu 
larly,  I  am  afraid  I  shall  have  a  sorry  time  of  it. 
Say  all  you  have  to  say,  Grace,  for  in  an  hour  we 
start.  I  am  really  anxious  to  be  home  once  more." 
"Mrs.  Feld,  would  you  not  like  to  shorten  the 
time  of  our  engagement?    It  is  a  very  long  wait 
for  me.    Grace  thinks  so,  too,"  said  Lavalle,  art 
fully. 

"Mother,  I  never." 

"You  can  both  wait,  I  think."  Mrs.  Feld  closed 
her  eyes  for  a  moment,  lost  in  a  happy  reverie 
over  the  successful  result  of  her  plans. 


156  THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

The  streets  and  houses  of  D were  clad  In 

a  pure  white  dress  of  snow  to  welcome  home  the 
travelers.  The  Felds  came  to  the  clear,  old  place 
flushed  with  pleasure  and  triumph.  Letitia  flew 
to  her  aunt's,  took  Grace  in  her  arms  and  almost 
smothered  her  with  caresses.  "Only  think  of  our 
demure  little  kitten  going  to  be  married,  and  be 
fore  me  too!  What  a  charming  little  hypocrite 
you  are.  You  know  you  always  tried  to  make  me 
believe  that  you  thought  men  monsters !" 

"Well,  Letitia,  never  fear.  You  have  developed 
in  these  few  months  to  be  the  most  ravishing 
creature  in  the  world.  And  your  eyes,  dear,  are 
wonderfully  fascinating;  what  a  look  they  have! 
Pray  take  them  off  me,"  added  Grace,  with  a 
slight  shudder. 

"I  assure  you,"  replied  her  cousin,  laughing 
immoderately,  "I  can  use  my  eyes  well.  When  I 
was  in  St.  Louis  I  drew  many  a  poor  fool  irre 
sistibly  to  my  feet  and  then  I  sent  him  away  with 
his  heart  in  his  mouth." 

"Why,  you  are  a  regular  coquette.  Beware 
that  you  are  not  caught  in  your  own  net." 

"All  men  are  not  born  to  conquer,  and  then — " 
added  Letitia,  spitefully,  "I  never  pretended  to 
be  such  a  staid  little  body  as  you.  I  am  passion 
ate  and  impulsive.  I  glory  in  being  able  to  throw 
arrows  when  and  where  I  will." 


THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT  157 

"Throw  all  you  like,  only  not  in  my  direction. 
1  thought  you  would  have  captured  that  hand 
some  lawyer  by  this  time." 

"That  man !  he  is  as  impenetrable  as  a  Sphinx. 
The  idea  of  his  going  around  and  not  paying 
court  to  a  single  girl  in  town.  I  should  like  to 
know  what  he  means !" 

"Probably  he  cannot  spare  the  time  to  court. 
He  is  very  ambitious." 

"Is  he  not  rising  in  his  profession?  But  you 
have  been  away  and  do  not  know.  Contrary  to 
all  expectations,  he  won  the  case  for  Niles.  It  is 
rumored  that  Berkhoff  assisted  him.  In  what 
way  I  don't  know,  but  he  is  a  great  deal  with 
Berkhoff  I  hear.  Of  course,  Niles'  case  brought 
him  a  handsome  fee  and,  what  is  more,  many  cli 
ents.  He  is  the  most  promising  lawyer  in  town. 
Now  he  has  grown  cold,  haughty,  reserved. 
Looks  pale,  some  say  'sad,'  some  say  'over 
worked.'  I  belive  it  is  pride." 

"A  queer  way  for  pride  to  show  itself," 
laughed  Grace.  "How  are  Rebecca  and  her 
mother." 

"Mrs.  Silverbaum,"  responded  Letitia,  "is 
growing  stouter  and  pants  more  than  ever.  Re 
becca  comes  around  ever  so  often.  When  she 
hears  you  have  come  she  will  not  give  you  time 
to  get  your  things  unpacked  before  she  will  be 
here  to  satisfy  her  curiosity.  She  is  wild  to  hear 
about  your  intended.  She  often  says,  'Berkhoff 
is  none  too  young,  but  he  is  good  and  rich.'  I 
snould  think  he  was  good.  Lavishes  things  upon 
her  as  if  he  were,  indeed,  a  prince." 

"He  is  very  well  off;  at  least,  father  once  said 


158  THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT 

he  was.  Naturally,  he  tries  to  make  Rebecca 
happy." 

"But  there  are  rumors  that  Berkhoff  is  shakv. 
Where  will  Rebecca's  lofty  dreams  be  should  he 
tumble?" 

"Poor  Berkhoff,  I  hope  things  are  not  as  they 
are  reported.  I  am  glad  he  is  engaged,  for  I  be 
lieve  Rebecca,  notwithstanding  all  her  love  of 
finery,  is  a  good  soul  at  heart.  You  can  condemn 
no  one  till  tried." 

"First,  I  believe  any  man  in  such  a  condition  is 
better  off  not  engaged ;  secondly,  I  wouldn't 
wager  any  money  on  Rebecca's  love  and  goodness 
of  heart." 

"Letitia,  much  as  I  love  everything  grand  and 
beautiful,  I  almost  wish  that  Lavalle  would  lose 
his  wealth,  so  that  I  could  show  him  that  I  love 
him  for  himself  alone." 

"Nonsense,  don't  be  soft.  I  would  be  the  last 
one  to  desert  a  man  if  he  lost  everything,  but 
strip  a  man  of  his  wealth  and  power  to  give,  and 
what  remains?  I  tell  you  it  would  be  a  bitter 
draught  for  me  to  swallow,"  added  Letitia,,  mak 
ing  a  wry  face. 

"What  a  girl  you  are,"  said  Grace,  laughing. 
"But,  tell  me  something  else.  How  is  my  dear 
Lizzie — now  a  sister,  I  suppose?  When  I  first 
left  here  I  received  several  letters,  but  lately  I 
have  not  heard  from  her.  I  presume  she  has  been 
too  busy  with  her  religious  duties." 

"I  am  almost  ashamed  to  say,  I  have  never 
been  near  the  convent  since  you  left.  What  with 
mother  being  sick,  spending  a  few  weeks  in  St. 
Louis,  visiting  here,  and  attending  the  children, 


THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT  159 

there  are  so  many  of  us,"  said  Letitia,  deprecat- 
ingly,  "I  found  no  time  for  the  convent.  Well,  I 
know  you  will  make  up  for  it.  But  I  must  tell 
you  there  is  an  addition  to  the  town  in  the  shape 
of  another  bank.  I  do  not  know  if  it  is  such  a 
solid  concern  as  our  Missouri  Bank.  It  offers  to 
advance  money  on  valuables,  jewels  and  such  like. 
Dear  me,  the  cashier  is  such  a  nice,  dapper  young 
man,  that  I  almost  wish  I  had  diamonds  to  pledge 
so  as  to  have  a  good  talk  with  him." 

"Make  use  of  your  magnificent  eyes,  my  dear." 

"He  is  a  Christian,  and  I  don't  want  to  break 
the  poor  fellow's  heart.  Ah  me !" 

Grace  winced  under  this  unintentional  home 
thrust  and  remained  silent. 

Letitia  resumed :  "And  the  house  around  the 
corner  that  was  so  long  vacant  is  now  occupied  by 
a  staunch  Catholic  family.  I  called  on  the  young- 
lady.  I  think  the  church  should  vote  her  a  resolu 
tion  of  thanks  for  her  proselytizing  disposition. 
And  she  is  always  talking  of  the  future  life!  I 
told  her  that  my  belief  was  that  the  good,  irre 
spective  of  their  religious  convictions,  would  go 
to  heaven.  As  I  do  not  know  what  death  may 
bring,  I  prefer  remaining  here — forever  if  I 
could." 

"I  do  not  blame  you,  Letitia,  and  I  think  many 
wish  as  you  do." 

"Let  me  tell  you  that  Mary  Moss,  our  young 
neighbor,  is  more  zealous  for  the  church  than 
your  friend  Lizzie  was.  She  will  exert  all  her 
powers  to  convert  you.  Her  mother  is  a  good, 
talkative  person,  who  is  on  the  best  terms  witli 
everybody.  There,  have  I  told  you  news?" 


i6d  THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT 

"Indeed  you  have.  I  am  so  very  happy  now 
that  I  am  not  at  all  afraid  of  Miss  Mary's  per 
suasive  powers,"  and  Grace  looked  up  with  a  ra 
diant  smile. 

"Grace,  your  trunks  have  come.  I  am  dying  to 
see  your  exquisite  gems  and  splendid  dresses," 
and  the  two  cousins  were  soon  plunged  in  rap 
tures  over  the  "beautiful  things,"  so  dear  to 
woman's  heart. 

"Mother,"  cried  Letitia,  as  she  returned  home, 
"I  am  miserable." 

"Why,  what  is  the  matter,  child  ?" 

"Am  I  not  dazzlingly  beautiful?  Are  not  my 
finely  molded  arms  and  neck  better  adapted  for 
glittering  gems  and  symmetrical  form  for  silk  and 
laces  than  Grace's  ?" 

"Indeed,"  replied  Mrs.  Rheinberg,  "it  should 
have  been  you.  You  are  older  and  there  are  more 
to  follow.  But  your  time  will  come,  child.  See. 
what  a  fine  time  you  had  in  St.  Louis.  Every  one 
after  you." 

"Such  eligible  offers!"  said  Letitia,  scorn 
fully.  "Fops  without  money  or  brains." 

"Your  father  told  me  of  one  man  with  plenty 
of  money  who  was  crazy  for  you." 

"Yes,  an  old  withered  apple.  I  would  not, 
could  not,  marry  him  if  he  had  a  diamond  mine." 

"To  be  sure  you  would  not.  You  want  some 
one  who  understands  you.  He  will  come,  he  will 
come,"  said  her  mother,  soothingly. 

"I  have  no  patience  with  anything.  Here  is 
this  chit  of  a  girl  enjoying  'golden  opportunities,' 
taking  advantage  of  them  and  becoming  happy. 
My  soul  craves  for  what  she  has.  I  have  nothing, 


THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT  161 

nothing,"  Letitia  moaned  and  sobbed  in  mortifi 
cation  and  rage. 

"How  it  worries  me  to  see  you  behave  like  this. 
And  your  father  would  think  you  unthankful. 
He  feels  it  so  when  you  are  not  happy.  Try  and 
be  contented.  God  will  remember  you,"  added 
Mrs.  Rheinberg,  earnestly. 

"Shall  I  be  contented  to  wear  wild  flowers, 
mother,  while  she  wears  sparkling  jewels?  No, 
never.  My  mirror  tells  me  a  tale  of  which  I  shall 
make  use,"  and  Letitia  ran  to  the  mirror  and 
gazed  at  herself  exultingly. 

The  most  exquisitely  cut  bottles  sometimes  con 
tain  the  vilest  compounds,  like  physical  beauty 
when  associated  with  moral  deformity. 

"Is  it  not  strange,  Mary,"  said  Grace,  some  two 
months  after  her  arrival  home,  "that  we  have  be 
come  in  such  a  short  time  such  good  friends?" 

"No,  not  at  all,"  answered  Miss  Moss.  "There 
is  an  affinity  in  our  natures  which  draws  us  to 
gether.  I  am  unhappy  when  I  do  not  see  you 
every  day.  That  is  the  reason  that  I  am  here  so 
often.  Grace,  you  are  so  good  that  I  wish  you 
were  one  of  us." 

"Do  you  know,  you  are  such  a  devotee  that  I 
am  surprised  you  have  no  desire  to  take  the  veil !" 
"I  have  religious  aspirations,  though." 
"Yes.    Will  you  tell  me  what  they  are  ?" 
"Willingly.     To  make  converts.     Were  I  a  re 
cluse  I  could  not  come  in  contact  with  some  people 
who  would  not  come  into  the  fold  without  my  in 
fluence." 


162  THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT 

"Will  you  never  get  married?" 

"I  may ;  I  cannot  tell.  I  have  a  mission  to  ful 
fill;  the  Lord  will  guide  me,"  said  Mary,  with 
enthusiasm. 

"Does  not  God  guide  all  who  ask  for  guid 
ance?" 

"If  you  have  the  right  belief,  he  does;  other 
wise  not." 

"Suppose,"  said  Grace,  "I  were  a  Pagan  and 
had  not  the  right  idea  of  God,  what  then?" 

"You  would  have  to  think  right,  especially 
when  others  brought  you  light.  If  not,  you  would 
be  lost." 

"That  makes  me  shudder.  Let  us  talk  of  some 
thing  else.  I  wish  it  were  May." 

"Aha !  longing  to  see  some  one  ?" 

At  this  moment  Letitia  entering,  said :  "Though 
everything  is  so  dull  and  prosaic  now,  gay  times 
are  in  prospective  when  Lavalle  comes.  Then 
there  will  be  any  number  of  picnics,  parties,  and, 
to  cap  the  climax,  I  shall  be  bridesmaid.  I  should 
have  been  bride,"  said  she,  sotto  voce. 

"Think  net  so  much  of  the  joys  of  this  life; 
they  are  fleeting.  Lay  up  treasures  in  heaven/' 
and  Mary  raised  her  eyes  heavenward. 

"Stuff,  nonsense!  No  more  theological  discus 
sions,  please.  I  want  to  talk  about  dress  and 
handsome  bipeds,"  said  Letitia. 

"Do  these  handsome  fellows  talk  about  you, 
Letitia?  I  forgot,  Mr.  Everard  may." 

As  Everard  had  not  paid  Letitia  any  attention, 
Mary's  remark  made  her  furious.  "Bah!"  ex 
claimed  she.  "You  are  an  old  maid." 


THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT  163 

"Letitia,  are  not  you  ashamed  of  yourself?" 
"Leave  her  alone,"  replied  Mary,  "she  is  in  a 
pet.    You  will  do,  Letitia." 

"Of  course  I  will,"  answered  Letitia,  redden 
ing.    "I  must  be  going.    Good-bye." 


164  THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT 


CHAPTER  XV. 

Time  sped  swiftly  by,  ushering  in  fickle  April 
with  its  sunshine  and  showers.  The  earth,  tired 
of  her  torpidity  and  warmed  by  the  genial  sun, 
awoke  to  renewed  life,  and  commenced  to  deck 
with  her  floral  tributes  the  smiling  spring.  The 
hardy  and  golden-headed  crocus  and  the  modest 
snow-drop,  heralds  of  their  species,  lifted  their 
heads  proudly  above  the  fast  disappearing  snow. 
Here  and  there  the  sweet  anemone  and  the 
sprouting  cotyledons  of  many  plants  testified  that 
all-creative  spring  had  come  to  revive  and  glad 
den  the  heart  of  man.  In  a  few  weeks  more  the 
snow  would  be  gone,  the  earth  once  more  covered 
with  her  carpet  of  green,  and  the  returning  birds 
singing  their  joy  that  nature  had  cast  aside  her 
weeds  and  gloom.  Nature  is  the  book  of  aesthet 
ics  that  all  may  read  and  understand.  There  is 
naught  to  offend  the  eye  or  disgust  the  taste.  All 
is  universal  harmony  of  sublimity,  beauty,  dis 
crimination,  sapience  and  admirable  prescience. 

"Well,  Grace,  what  does  Lavalle  say?"  asked 
Mrs.  Feld,  a  few  moments  after  her  daughter  had 
broken  the  seal  of  a  letter  from  her  lover. 

"Joy!  Mother,  Lavalle  is  coming  a  little 
earlier  than  we  expected,  is  it  not?" 

"I  suppose  he  could  wait  no  longer." 


THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT  165 

"Mother,  this  letter  has  been  delayed.  From 
the  date,  I  may  expect  him  this  very  day." 

"Is  that  so,  Grace  ?    How  glad  I  am." 

"How  shall  I  pass  the  time?  It  makes  me  so 
nervous  and  excited  that  I  can  scarcely  wait,"  and 
the  tremor  of  her  voice  fully  confirmed  her  words. 

"Have  patience,  darling.  Do  some  little  thing 
and  time  will  pass  quicker,"  said  the  mother,  de 
lighted  at  her  child's  happiness,  though  ever  fear 
ful  that  something  would  occur  to  mar  her  well 
conceived  and  nearly  executed  project. 

"Mamma,  do  you  know  that  Letitia  is  almost 
as  anxious  as  I  am  to  see  William.  She  forms  .a 
hundred  plans  for  May  excursions,  parties,  etc. 
Nothing  interests  her  but  to  talk  of  him.  But," 
said  Grace,  as  if  a  sudden  thought  struck  her, 
"don't  you  think  she  is  much  changed?  She  no 
longer  confides  in  me,  nor  does  she  appear  as  free 
and  easy  when  with  me  as  formerly.  Her  actions 
are  more  restrained  and  more  impetuous.  I  can 
not  understand  her." 

"Maybe,"  answered  her  mother,  in  a  tone 
meant  to  be  careless,  "she  envies  you  a  match 
which  will  make  you  everywhere  distinguished." 

"You  frighten  me." 

"What  a  queer  girl  you  are.  What  is  there  to 
frighten  you  now?"  questioned  her  mother. 

"I  am  ashamed  to  express  my  thoughts,  still  I 
will  tell  you.  Letitia  is  very  beautiful;  may  not 
my  charms  pale  in  the  eye  of  Lavalle  before 
hers?" 

"Silly  girl!  Do  you  think  he  has  never  seen  a 
pretty  woman  since  you  left  him  ?  He  loves  you 
too  much,  though,  ever  to  think  of  any  one  else," 


166  THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT 

"Your  words  quiet  my  apprehension,  mother. 
How  can  I  ever  do  without  you?" 

"When  you  have  your  husband,  you  will  not 
only  think  you  do  not  need  me,  but,  perhaps,  for 
get  me." 

"Forget  you !  never,  mother.  How  can  you 
think  so?"  said  Grace,  kissing  her  as  the  tears 
rose  in  her  eyes. 

"Never  mind,  child.  You  are  very  loving,  I 
know.  Don't  cry;  keep  your  eyes  bright;  La- 
valle  may  step  in  any  moment.  Men  like  smiles 
better  than  tears;  remember  that,  Grace,  though 
I  have  not  always  remembered  it." 

"Mother,  I  wish  you  would  tell  me " 

"No  questions  to-day,"  interrupted  her 
mother.  "You  are  to  look  pretty  and  so  you  do." 

"This  pale  blue  merino,  with  its  white  velvet 
trimmings,  is  becoming.  I  hope  William  will 
think  so.  He  is  very  fastidious,"  said  Grace,  as 
she  threw  herself  in  a  negligent  attitude  on  the 
lounge. 

"Rest  a  little,  sleep  if  you  can.  You  will  look 
better  than  after  work." 

"Work?     I  scarcely  know  what  it  is." 

"Thank  God  for  that.  I  shall  leave  you  for 
awhile,"  said  Mrs.  Feld,  going  out  of  the  room. 

Grace,  left  to  herself,  fell  into  a  reverie,  in 
which  Dr.  Montmartre,  Letitia  and  Lavalle  were 
prominent.  From  thinking  she  must  have  fallen 
into  a  doze.  "Lavalle,"  she  exclaimed,  with  a 
start,  "am  I  dreaming  or  waking?" 

"My  darling  Grace,"  said  Lavalle,  as  he 
clasped  her  in  his  arms,  "I  am  no  vision,  but 
real  flesh  and  blood.  I  drove  here  direct  from 


THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT  167 

the  train,  saw  a  door  partially  open  and  stole  in. 
I  presumed  to  enter  and  saw  my  'sleeping 
beauty.'  You  need  not  blush  so,  Grace.  Come 
• — whom  have  we  here?" 

The  door  opened  noiselessly,  and  there  stood 
Letitia,  looking  exceedingly  beautiful.  "I  beg 
a  thousand  pardons ;  I  was  not  aware  that  any 
one  was  with  you,  Cousin  Grace,"  remarked  she. 

"Come  in,  Letitia.  Allow  me  to  present  to 
you  Mr.  Lavalle,  my  intended.  William,  my 
cousin,  Letitia,  of  whom  I  have  often  spoken." 

"Happy  to  make  your  acquaintance,  my  cousin 
that  is  to  be,"  said  Lavalle,  shaking  hands  with 
her. 

"The  happiness  is  mutual,"  said  Letitia,  with 
downcast  eyes.  "We  have  all  been  anxious  to 
see  and  welcome  you." 

"Tell  him  nothing  of  that  sort,"  said  Grace. 
"You  will  make  him  vain  and  spoil  him." 

"Very  well,  then ;  I  shall  not  tell  any  one  what 
sleepless  nights  I  have  had,  what  miserable  clays 
I  have  passed,  thinking  of  a  little  girl  in  a  far 
Avestern  town.  Every  one  in  New  York  said, 
'Go,  don't  wait  until  the  time  expires,  you  will 
be  ill.'  All  that  you  shall  not  know,"  returned 
Lavalle. 

"You  do  look  pale,"  said  Grace,  anxiously. 
"How  stupid  I  am.  I  shall  ring  for  refresh 
ments.  Here  is  mamma ;  she  will  attend  to  all." 

"Grace,  what  a  girl  you  are  not  to  call  me  to 
roe  William — my  son — I  may  call  him.  How 
rnppy  I  am.  How  did  you  get  in?  How  well 
you  look,"  said  Mrs.  Fefd,  all  in  a  breath,  shak- 


i68  THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT 

ing  Lavalle's  hand  and  patting  him  on  the  shoul 
der. 

"Mother,  he  is  not  well;  he  can't  sleep.  I  am 
afraid 

"It  is  only  strong  love-fever,"  said  Lavalle,  in 
answer  to  Mrs.  Feld's  concerned  look. 

"It  is  best  to  let  it  rage,  aunt,"  spoke  Letitia, 
raising  her  eyes. 

"I  think  I  shall,"  responded  Mrs.  Feld,  laugh 
ing  heartily. 

"Never  put  yourself,  my  fair  cousin,  in  my 
predicament,"  said  Lavalle,  with  a  merry  twinkle 
in  his  eye. 

"Don't  think  I  ever  shall,"  returned  Letitia, 
blushing. 

"And  your  father,  Grace,  dear?"  inquired  La 
valle. 

"He  does  not  expect  you  to-day.  Your  letter 
was  delayed.  He  will  be  in  the  seventh  heaven." 

"Where  is  that,  my  precious?"  asked  Lavalle, 
and  without  waiting  for  a  reply  said,  "I  shall  not 
tell  you  where  I  think  it  is." 

Refreshments  were  now  brought  in,  and  Leti 
tia,  though  pressed  to  remain,  would  not.  She 
declared  she  must  inform  her  folks,  who  were 
dying  to  have  a  "peep"  at  him,  and  he  expressed 
himself  ready  for  inspection. 

"Mother,"  cried  Letitia,  rushing  into  her 
mother's  room,  "I  am  more  miserable  than  ever. 
Lavalle  has  come." 

"Has  he?  Well,  then,  there  will  be  gay  times. 
Come,  you  must  get  over  this  feeling." 

"Yes,  I  have  seen  this  Apollo,  this  Croesus; 
heavens,  what  a  man !  And  to  think  he  is  so  en- 


THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT  169 

raptured  with  my  passive  cousin.  What  is  she 
compared  to  brilliant  me?" 

"She  can't  hold  a  candle  to  you,  my  child," 
said  Mrs.  Rhcinberg. 

"But,  notwithstanding,  she  is  incomparably 
happy,  and  I  am  so  unhappy !  She  seems  not  to 
walk,  but  float  with  aerial  grace,  her  voice  and 
actions  are  all  transformed.  Love  has  encircled 
her  with  a  halo  of  glory  and  made  her  almost  as 
beautiful  as  I  am.  Poor  me!  standing  by,  envy 
and  discontent  gnawing  at  my  heart,  to  see  my 
wondrous  beauty  slighted,"  and  Letitia  com 
menced  to  sob. 

"Child,  child,  you  must  not  give  way  so." 

"I  cannot  help  it.  I  feel  the  demon  rising 
within  me,  and  I  wish  in  my  agony  to  snatch  him 
from  her  and  hurl  her  into  the  depths  of  despair. 
But  'nil  desperandum.'  " 

"Letitia,  what  is  that  gibberish?  Are  you  go 
ing  mad?"  anxiously  inquired  her  mother. 

"Pshaw,  what  do  you  mean?"  said  Letitia, 
with  a  half  smile.  "Zimmerman,  an  author,  says, 
'Beauty  is  worse  than  wine,  it  intoxicates  both 
the  holder  and  the  beholder.'  I  feel  the  fumes 
ascending  my  head ;  I  am  growing  reckless.  It 
incites  me  on  to  conquest." 

"Letitia,  I  wish  you  would  be  reasonable. 
You  put  altogether  too  high  a  value  on  your 
beauty.  There  is  your  cousin  with  half  of 
it— 

"Stop  a  bit,  mother.  Had  I  seen  Lavalle 
when  Grace  did,  she  would  not,  could  not,  have 
had  him." 

"This  Lavalle  can't  be  nicer  than  Mark  Ever- 


170  THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT 

ard.  Jew  and  Gentile  give  him  a  name,  and 
such  a  name.  'There  is  always  as  good  fish  in 
the  water  as  out.'  No  man  stands  higher  than 
Everard,"  said  Mrs.  Rheinberg,  soothingly. 

"He  is  so  wrapped  up  in  his  profession  and 
what  else  I  don't  know,  that  women  have  no 
charm  for  him.  It  is  'Love's  labor  lost'  to  fish 
for  him.  I  should  be  willing  to  die  like  Samson 
if  I  could  pull  Grace  down  with  me." 

"You  mustn't  talk  so.  It  is  sinful,"  added 
Mrs.  Rheinberg. 

"But  fate  is  so  hard  on  me." 

"Well,  God  does  what  is  for  the  best." 

"He  wants  us,  though,  to  make  use  of  our 
opportunities  and  make  ourselves  happy  if  we 
can." 

"To  be  sure,  my  child ;  it  would  be  wrong  not 
to  do  our  best  to  be  happy  and  good." 

"Mother,  please  forget  this  emotion  of  mine. 
I  think  I  am  not  very  well,  otherwise  I  should 
not  have  so  lost  my  self-control." 

"Of  course  you  are  not,  my  darling,  my  noble, 
my  beautiful  girl.  Smile  and  be  yourself  once 
more,"  said  the  fond  mother,  as  she  pressed  her 
child  to  her  heart. 

"Yes,  mother,  the  storm  is  over.  I  am  now 
going  to  make  the  best  use  of  opportunities  and 
make  myself  happy,"  added  the  designing  girl, 
chuckling  with  delight,  as  she  thought  that  La- 
valle  must  continually  pass  her  house  to  see 
Grace. 


THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT  171 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

"Dear  Letitia,"  said  Grace,  "on  the  first  of 
May  we  are  to  have  a  picnic.  I  have  already 
talked  it  over  with  girls  of  our  acquaintance,  and 
Mary  Moss — just  think — has  consented  to  come. 
It  promises  to  be  a  pleasant  affair.  Lavalle,  Wil 
liam,  I  should  say,  assented  eagerly  when  I  pro 
posed  it.  He  is  so  anxious  to  please.  He  almost 
anticipates  my  wishes,  and  is  a  most  devoted 
lover,"  and  she  bent  her  head  to  hide  the  blushes 
which  suffused  her  innocent  face. 

Letitia  bowed  her  head  to  conceal  her  rage. 
Each  word  of  her  cousin  was  like  a  dagger  pierc 
ing  her  heart.  But  the  instant  she  looked  up  her 
face  was  wreathed  in  smiles,  and  the  lovely  viper 
lifted  her  cousin's  head,  looked  into  her  eyes, 
saying  sweetly  and  affectionately:  "When  is  the 
wedding  to  be?  I  am  more  interested  in  what 
concerns  your  whole  future  than  in  the  transient 
pleasures  of  an  hour." 

"William  was  anxious  to  have  it  take  place 
immediately,  and  so  were  mother  and  father,  but 
I  pleaded  hard  to  have  it  deferred  a  while  yet; 
and  so,  as  in  all  things,  he  has  yielded  to  my 
wishes." 

"Aunt  and  uncle  should  allow  events  to  take 
their  course.  It  does  not  look  well  for  them  to 
urge  the  wedding,"  replied  Letitia,  insinuatingly. 


172  THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT 

"Mamma  and  papa  always  act  for  the  best, 
though  they  do  seem  somewhat  in  a  hurry,"  re 
sponded  Grace,  carelessly. 

"Well,"  said  Letitia,  with  a  wise  look,  "let  us 
arrange  affairs  for  the  picnic.  Let  us  show  this 
New  Yorker  what  a  delightful  time  we  towns 
people  can  have.  Is  Rebecca  Silverbaum  to 
come?  And  Mark  Everard,  what  of  him?" 

"To  be  sure,  Rebecca  is  to  come.  Papa  made 
no  objection  when  I  said  Berkhoff  would  have 
to  come  with  her.  He  nodded  and  said,  That's 
understood.'  As  for  Everard,  we  can't  well  dis 
pense  with  him.  I  am  sure  he  will  come,  for 
William  and  he  like  each  other  already.  They 
are  kindred  spirits." 

"I  suppose  he  knows  Lavalle  is  rich  and 
courts  his  society?" 

"You  mistake  the  man,  Letitia.  He  would  not 
bend  to  a  mortal  unless  to  a  woman.  The  great 
est  men  are  weak  in  that  point.  See  William, 
the  noblest  man  in  the  world,  surrendering  his 
wishes  to  mine,  seeing  only  with  my  eyes." 

"Men  don't  mean  all  they  say,  my  dear.  Hor 
ace  says  something  about  'man's  promises  being 
like  autumn  leaves,'  and " 

"Not  another  word,"  said  Grace,  resolutely. 

"How  spunky  you  are  becoming.  That  is 
right.  Do  you  know  something?"  asked  Letitia, 
changing  the  subject.  "Papa  has  decided  to  let 
me  have  a  party  next  week  to  celebrate  Lavalle's 
arrival.  He  wanted  to  have  the  affair  this  week, 
but  as  I  want  it  to  be  very  fine,  I  wish  to  defer 
it.  I  need  time  to  prepare,  as  everything  depends 
upon  me.  Now,  where  is  the  picnic  to  be?"  and 


the  two  cousins  were  soon  absorbed  digesting 
their  plans. 

On  that  May  day,  which  Grace  had  appointed 
for  the  picnic,  Old  Sol  came  out  with  undimin- 
isfced  splendor,  the  birds  sang  sweetly,  the  brooks 
babbled  merrily,  the  atmosphere  was  odorous 
with  the  perfume  of  flowers,  and  the  grand  Miss 
issippi  shone  like  a  silver  belt  across  the  land 
scape — unconcerned  about  macrocosm  or  micro 
cosm. 

"Let  me  call  the  roll,"  said  Letitia,  "to  see  if 
you  are  all  here,"  and  she  laughingly  counted  the 
company  at  Mrs.  Feld's  home. 

"In  what  direction  are  we  going?"  inquired 
Mary  Moss,  shaking  off  her  previous  apathy. 

"We  are  going  a  few  miles  south,  where  there 
is  a  charming  grove  that  wooes  us  to  its  shade, 
spreading  for  us  a  soft,  flower-spangled  carpet." 

When  the  whole  party  arrived  at  the  wharf, 
where  there  were  a  number  of  skiffs,  Mary 
turned  pale,  and  said :  "I  detest  going  in  those 
small  boats.  They  make  me  nervous.  They  are 
insecure." 

"No  fear,  Miss  Moss.  I  am  a  good  swim 
mer,"  added  Everard. 

"Are  you?  I  am  glad.  I  shall  be  one  of  your 
party  then." 

"So  will  I,"  shouted  Berkhoff.  "I  can't  swim, 
and  if  anything  happens  you  must  save  my  Re 
becca;  she  is  so  heavy,  she  will  go  under  quick, 
I  am  afraid." 

"My  boat  has  full  freight  now,"  rejoined 
Everard,  laughing  heartily  with  the  rest  at  Berk 
's  rude,  but  good-natured  sally. 


174  -THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT 

"Here,  Letitia,"  said  Lavalle,  "come  into  our 
boat.  There  is  room  for  you,  Mr.  Atherton,  and 
for  you,  Mr.  Benson,"  to  which  the  two  gentle 
men  complied  with  alacrity. 

"All  ready?"  asked  Lavalle. 

"Yes,"  was  the  merry  answer.  The  gentle 
men  plied  the  oars  and  the  little  boats  shot  grace 
fully  down  the  stream,  some  going  abreast, 
others  following. 

"Sing,  Grace,"  said  Lavalle,  "this  is  novel  as 
well  as  pleasant."  Grace,  happy  as  a  bird,  sang 
in  a  sweet  contralto  voice,  "The  Earth  with  Her 
Ten  Thousand  Flowers."  Mr.  Atherton  accom 
panied  her  in  a  fine  baritone.  The  chorus  was 
taken  up  by  the  others,  and  produced  a  thrilling 
effect. 

"Why  don't  you  sing,  Miss  Rheinberg?" 
asked  her  companions. 

Letitia  laughed  and  said,  "I  have  a  cold," 
mmentally  she  asked  herself,  "Why  should  I 
sing?  There  is  no  song  in  my  heart,  why 
should  there  be  one  in  my  voice?" 

"She  is,"  said  Benson,  who  was  a  warm  but, 
through  her  creed,  an  undeclared  admirer  of  Le 
titia,  "a  splendid  vocalist.  Had  she  wished  she 
might  have  ranked  among  the  first  prima  donnes 
of  the  age." 

"It  is  a  pity  that  she  did  not  go  to  Italy,"  re 
turned  Lavalle,  laconically. 

"Let  me  assist  you  in  rowing,"  said  Benson, 
endeavoring  to  give  Letitia  time  to  recover  her 
composure. 

"It  is  too  bad,  Mr.  Benson,"  added  Letitia, 
sweetly,  "that  this  horrid  cold  deprives  me  of  the 


THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT  175 

pleasure  of  pleasing  you.  Some  other  time  I 
shall  make  up  for  this."  She  wished  to  reserve 
this  battery  for  some  other  occasion. 

"Here  we  are  at  the  landing.  Come,  Grace," 
said  Lavalle. 

"I  am  ready  to  assist  you,"  said  Benson  to  Le- 
titia,  as  they  arrived  at  the  landing. 

"I,  too,  Miss  Rheinberg,"  added   Atherton. 

"Thanks.  Between  you  both  I  have  no  doubt 
that  I  shall  land  safely." 

"Oh,  my  dress  is  in  the  water,"  screamed  Re 
becca,  as  Berkhoff  attempted  to  take  her  out  of 
the  skiff.  "Mr.  Everard,  where  are  you  ?" 

"Here  I  am.  You  shall  not  drown.  Miss  Moss 
is  safely  landed,  and  now  for  you.  Here  you 
are  on  terra  firma.  How  is  the  dress?  I  have 
the  basket,  so  come." 

The  other  gentlemen  followed  Everard's  ex 
ample,  and  they  soon  reached  the  grove. 

"Now,  for  the  work  of  fairy  fingers.  Here 
are  the  tables,  ladies.  Our  first  work  will  be  to 
eat,"  said  Lavalle. 

"Let  me  assist.  I  can  make  myself  useful," 
remarked  Everard. 

"Everard,  how  did  you  enjoy  yourself  in  your 
boat  between  Rebecca  and  Mary.  I  pitied  you, 
poor  fellow,  upon  my  word,  I  did,"  said  Lavalle, 
laughing. 

"Do  you  think,  Lavalle,  because  you  had  two 
such  pretty  women  with  you  that  every  other 
man  in  the  company  deserved  sympathy?" 

"Of  one  sweet,  pretty  girl  I  know,  but  the 
other  is  only  so  so." 

"Gentlemen,"  said  Benson,  "come,    no    more 


176  THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURREN? 

talking  now.  How  can  you  stand  aside  and  see 
these  lovely  creatures  doing  all  the  work  ?  Ever- 
ard,  look  at  that  Miss  Rheinberg;  see  the  poise 
of  her  head.  She  is  the  most  beautiful  woman 
I  have  ever  seen.  I  wonder  she  does  not  turn 
all  your  heads." 

"Why  doesn't  she  turn  yours,  my  young  fel 
low?  You  are  a  fine  specimen  of  manhood.  If 
you  are  as  susceptible  as  all  that,  go  and  win 
her,"  added  Everard. 

"If  I  could  batter  down  that  Carrier,  religion, 
I  would  go  to  work  at  once." 

"Is  that  barrier  so  hard  to  break?"  continued 
Everard,  turning  pale. 

"Man,  it  is  the  most  trying.  The  greatest  sac 
rifice  one  can  bring  to  the  altar  is  one's  creed ; 
where  all  should  be  unity  of  thought  and  feeling. 
And  then  between  our  two  religions  there  is  such 
a  wide  chasm  that  can  never  be  crossed,"  re 
sponded  Benson. 

"Speak  only  for  yourself,  young  man,  and  not 
for  all  Christendom,"  gasped  Everard. 

"Why,  what  is  the  matter  with  you?  I  was 
told,  excuse  me,  that  you  are  a  Jew,  though  I 
did  not  want  to  believe  it.  Neither  your  face 
nor  your  manners  are  like  one,"  said  Benson. 

"You  were  told  right.  I  am  a  Jew,"  answered 
Everard,  proudly.  "There  are  many  such  as  I 
am,  and  I  think  many  better  specimens." 

"I  have  never  seen  one  like  you.  Everard, 
you  have  a  chance  to  win  that  lovely  girl." 

"Nonsense,  Mr.  Benson.  My  profession  is 
my  bride.  How  we  have  talked  away  the  time. 


THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT  177 

See  Lavalle  and  Grace.  There  is  a  doting  love 
for  you." 

"This  is  grand.  Look  at  our  dining-room,  the 
ceiling  is  lapis  lazuli.  On  the  interlacing  boughs 
of  these  trees  hamadryads  have  lived  and  died. 
On  these  walls  our  eyes  can  gaze  forever  with 
out  fatigue,  not  because  they  are  green,  but  be 
cause  they  are  lined  with  pretty  girls.  Come,  my 
queen,"  said  Lavalle  to  Grace,  throwing  over 
her  head  a  wreath  of  the  rarest  exotics,  which 
he  had  brought  and  carefully  concealed  in  a  box. 
"We  shall  place  ourselves  at  the  head  of  the  ta 
ble,  which  will  be  the  signal  for  the  others  to 
follow." 

"Many  cheers  for  our  beautiful  queen,"  ex 
claimed  the  ladies  and  gentlemen  simultaneously, 
as  they  sat  down  and  laughed,  talked  and  ate 
until  the  most  tempting  viands  were  consumed. 
Then  the  two  musicians  were  told  to  "strike." 

"Come,  Grace,  we  are  going  to  have  a  dance. 
Take  your  partners,  gentlemen." 

"I  tell  you,  William,  it  is  your  duty  to  dance 
with  every  girl  here,"  added  Grace,  after  the  first 
dance  was  over. 

"But,  Grace,"  pleaded  Lavalle,  "I  want  to 
dance  with  you  all  the  time.  Think  what  a  long 
time  I  had  to  stay  in  New  York,  and  won't  you 
now  be  kind  to  a  body?" 

"No,  sir;  every  man  must  do  his  duty,"  re 
turned  she,  playfully. 

"Shall  I  have  to  dance  with  the  Silver " 

"Yes,  yes ;  with  the  Silver  and  the  Gold — with 
Letitia  and  all  of  them.  Here  comes  Mr.  Ever- 
ard  for  me."  And  his  request  for  the  next  dance 


178  THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT 

was  granted  by  Grace  responding  mischievously, 
"With  pleasure." 

"I  say,  Everard,  that  is  rather  cool.  You 
didn't  ask  my  permission." 

"What  a  grasping  monopolist  you  are.  Come, 
come,  take  BerkhofFs  place  a  little  while." 

"Grace,  look  out.  I  sacrifice  myself  to  your 
command,"  said  Lavalle,  bowing  low,  looking 
very  grave,  and  walking  off  to  Rebecca. 

"Do  you  think  he  feels  unhappy  about  it?"  said 
Grace. 

"You  are  jesting,  are  you  not?"  returned  Ev 
erard,  attentively  regarding  her. 

"I  should  not  like  to  hurt  his  feelings,  he  is  so 
good." 

"Miss  Feld,  you  are  too  good  and  considerate. 
I  believe  you  are  incapable  of  injuring  any  one 
by  word  or  deed." 

Grace  made  no  reply,  but  her  face  indicated 
the  satisfaction  she  experienced  at  these  words. 

"Well,  Grace,  have  I  been  gone  long  enough?" 
said  Lavalle  to  her,  as  she  stood  talking  to  Mr. 
Atherton.  "I  have  danced  with  all  the  young 
ladies." 

"And  I  shall  go  and  supply  your  place,"  re 
turned  Atherton. 

"Grace,  I  danced  twice  with  Letitia.  I  had 
performed  my  duty  and  was  coming  to  you  when 
I  passed  her.  She  said,  'This  rough  floor  im 
pedes  dancing,  but  you  are  a  splendid  dancer.' 
Without  thinking,  I  said,  'Shall  we  have  an 
other  ?'  She  answered,  'Certainly.'  " 


THE  IIRESISTIBLE  CURRENT  179' 

"You  did  right  to  dance  with  her  again  if  it 
pleased  her." 

"But  no  more  roaming  away  from  you.  Let 
us  sit  down  over  there  in  that  shady  nook  and 
in  this  dreamy,  favoring  twilight  let  your  lips 
tell  me  how  much  you  love  me.  I  have  not  been 
able  to  tell  you  to-day  more  than  twenty  times 
that  I  love  you.  Come,  Grace,  you  must  not 
blush  so.  Let  us  talk  about  the  future  and  be 
happy  in  it,"  and  Lavalle,  tenderly  placing  her 
arm  in  his,  walked  to  the  inviting  spot. 

"Lavalle,"  subsequently  exclaimed  Everard, 
"I  have  been  looking  everywhere  for  you.  The 
sun's  declining  rays  warn  us  to  depart." 

"Mr.  Everard,"  called  Mary,  "I  am  going  in 
your  boat.  I  want  to  be  safe." 

"Certainly;  you  came  with  me  and  you  shall 
return  with  me.  Ah!  I  was  just  going  to  look 
for  you,  Berkhoff." 

"Here  I  am,  and  my  fair  Rebecca,  too." 

Everard  smiled  at  Berkhoff,  who  was  holding 
Rebecca  as  if  he  were  afraid  she  would  run 
away. 

"I  am  very  fair,  am  I  not,  Mr.  Everard?" 

"You  are  a  lily,  Rebecca;  don't  mind  what 
Everard  says,  he  don't  understand  colors,"  said 
Berkhoff. 

"Did  you  ever  see  such  a  man?"  said  Mary 
in  an  undertone.  "That  girl  white!  she  is  as 
brown  as  mahogany.  A  singular  lily  she  is." 

"Don't  make  me  laugh  with  your  comparisons. 
But,  Miss  Moss,  love,  like  fortune,  is  blind.  To 
Berkhoff  Miss  Rebecca  is  beautiful.  He  adores 


180  THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT 

her  in  his  own  way  just  as  much  as  Lavalle  does 
that  gentle  Grace." 

"You  think  that  possible?  See  him  ahead  of 
us,  dragging  her  along,"  rejoined  Alary.  "Grace 
is  of  a  different  mold  from  Rebecca." 

"To  be  sure  she  is,  but  Berkhoff,  with  his 
rough  exterior,  has  a  sound  heart." 

After  they  were  seated,  Everard  continued: 
"Let  us  work.  We  are  in  advance  of  the  others; 
let  us  keep  ahead." 

"We  are  going  fast  now,  ain't  we  ?"  said  Berk 
hoff. 

"We  will  be  at  home  very  soon  now.  I  know 
ma  will  have  coffee  waiting  for  us,  and  some 
thing  more  substantial  too.  She  will  think  we 
must  be  hungry.  Come  home  with  us,  Mr.  Ever 
ard,"  said  Rebecca. 

"No,  thanks ;  I  shall  see  Miss  Moss  home  and 
then  go  to  the  office.  I  have  a  little  work  to  do 
yet." 

"You  are  always  busy  as  a  bee.  We  are  ahead 
of  the  other  boats,"  said  Rebecca. 

"Yes,  but  there  is  a  boat  in  advance  of  us. 
It  can't  be  of  our  party,"  said  Everard. 

"I  wonder  who  is  in  there?"  inquired  Mary. 

"I  can  distinguish  the  outline  of  four  forms, 
but  not  their  faces.  Two  ladies  and  two  gentle 
men,"  returned  Everard. 

"Pull,  pull;  we  must  come  up  to  'em.  They 
go  slow,  we  must  run,"  said  Berkhoff. 

"Don't  run  us  on  a  sand-bar  or  ashore  or  col 
lide  with  these  people.  I  don't  want  to  be  up 
set,"  returned  Rebecca, 


THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT  iSi 

"We  can  almost  hear  them  talk.  I  know  one 
voice;  it  is  Mr.  Bennett's,"  said  Mary. 

"We  are  at  home  now.  My  God!"  cried  Re 
becca,  "the  skiff  is  upset.  Two  are  out.  Berk- 
hoff,  I  shall  go  mad.  Hear  that  woman's 
shrieks,"  and  she  crouched  down  in  the  boat. 

In  an  instant  Everard  had  thrown  off  his  coat 
and  plunged  into  the  water.  The  woman  rose 
to  the  surface;  he  caught  her  in  his  arms;  her 
long  hair  uncoiled  and  twined  around  him  as  he 
swam  to  the  shore  with  her. 

"Blessed  be  God!"  he  cried,  as  he  laid  her  on 
the  ground  and  the  moon  illumined  her  features, 
"that  it  is  I  who  have  saved  her." 

"Help !  help !"  shrieked  a  woman,  and  Everard 
saw  a  man  struggling  to  keep  a  body  above  wa 
ter.  "I  am  coming,"  he  shouted,  and  once  more 
plunged  into  the  water,  caught  the  almost  drown 
ing  man  and  brought  him  to  land  safely.  With 
a  few  vigorous  strokes  the  other  man,  Mr.  Ben 
nett,  was  back  to  his  companion  and  rowed  up 
to  the  landing. 

Everard  laid  the  man  down  and  supported  the 
woman. 

"What  can  I  do,  what  shall  I  do  ?"  said  Berk- 
hoff,  now  running  up,  after  taking  out  Rebecca 
and  Mary. 

"Get  assistance.  I  see  lights.  The  people  will 
soon  be  here,"  answered  Everard,  shivering. 

"Here,  put  my  shawl  over  the  lady,"  said  Re 
becca,  taking  it  off  and  wrapping  it  around  the 
unconscious  woman. 

"And  mine,  too,"  added  Mary.  "Cover  her 
up  with  the  shawls;  help  is  coming." 


182  THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT 

Everard  turned  his  head. 

"Father!  Amelia!"  cried  Alice  Hill,  who  was 
followed  by  Bennett,  "answer  me." 

The  carriage,  physicians  and  help  arriving, 
Bennett  said  to  Alice,  "You  go  with  Amelia;  I 
shall  go  in  the  conveyance  with  your  father." 

"You  are  so  wet,  Charlie.  I  am  afraid  you 
will  take  cold,"  returned  Alice,  a  little  confused 
by  the  shock. 

"I  am  afraid  so  myself,"  answered  Bennett, 
"but  it  can't  be  helped." 

"Miss  Hill,"  said  Rebecca,  "I  would  like  to 
go  with  you.  I  may  be  of  some  service  until 
your  friends  come." 

"Yes,  yes,"  said  Alice. 

"I  shall  come,  too,"  added  Mary,  "I  am  a  good 
nurse." 

"Here,  Everard,  is  your  coat.  Your  bath  has 
chilled  you.  How  plucky  you  are;  saved  two 
lives.  The  papers  will  be  full  of  it.  If  I  had 
done  that  it  would  have  brought  me  lots  of  cus 
tomers,  though  were  it  to  save  my  own  life  and 
Rebecca's,  I  could  not  have  swam,"  said  Berk- 
hoff. 

"Berkhoff,  I  must  go  up  to  the  Hills'  yet  to 
night." 

"Are  you  mad,  Everard?  No,  you  don't  do 
nothing  of  the  sort.  Your  teeth  are  chattering. 
You  are  going  to  bed,  and  I  am  going  to  stay 
with  you  to-night." 

"I  am  not  ill,  Berkhoff,  only  cold,"  said  Ever 
ard,  as  his  face  flushed  and  paled  alternately. 
"I  must  go  to  the  Hills.  Miss  Hill  and  her 
father  may  be  dead,"  and  his  voice  trembled. 


THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT  183 

"I  think  not;  I  hope  not.  The  father  is  not 
strong,  but  the  young  lady  is.  You  have  been 
overheated  dancing,  and  the  bath  you  had  was 
not  good  for  you.  I'll  inquire  about  them  for 
you.  Don't  be  stubborn,"  begged  Berkhoff. 

"The  horses  have  stopped  at  the  hotel.  If  you 
don't  tell  the  driver  to  go  to  the  Hills'  I  shall 
walk  there,"  said  Everard,  firmly. 

"What's  this?  This  is  indeed  madness," 
groaned  Berkhoff. 

"I  care  not  what  it  is;  take  me  there,"  and 
Everard  put  his  hands  to  his  face. 

"To  the  Hills',  driver,"  said  Berkhoff,  putting 
his  head  out  of  the  window.  "You  are  crazy, 
and  I  must  humor  you." 

"How  are  they?"  inquired  Everard,  as  the 
door  of  the  Hill  mansion  was  opened  by  a  ser 
vant. 

"Miss  Amelia  has  recovered  somewhat,  but 
the  doctors  say  she  must  keep  quiet.  Mr.  Hill  is 
still  in  a  faint ;  I  shouldn't  wonder  if  it  is  the  old 
disease — paralysis  again." 

"Take  up  this  card  in  the  morning.  Say  I 
called  last  night.  Don't  forget,"  continued  Ever 
ard. 

"Come  on,"  shouted  Berkhoff.  "Are  you  go 
ing  to  stand  there  talking  all  night?  Fool,  fool," 
he  murmured  between  his  teeth. 

When  the  other  picnickers  arrived  at  the  land 
ing,  they  were  told  of  the  accident,  and  all  spoke 
in  the  highest  terms  of  Everard's  bravery. 

"If  we  were  superstitious  like  the  ancients," 
said  Benson,  "we  might  think  that  the  Gods  were 


i&j.  THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT 

angry  at  our  enjoying  ourselves  on  the  feast  of 
the  Lemuria." 

After  the  young  ladies  were  taken  to  their 
homes,  the  gentlemen  went  in  a  body  to  inquire 
about  the  Hills. 


THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT  185 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

"Thank  God,  papa  is  quite  out  of  danger.  Dr. 
Wilson  says  all  he  requires  is  careful  nursing, 
and  that  it  was  the  fright  that  gave  him  the  sec 
ond  attack  of  paralysis.  You  and  papa  had  a 
narrow  escape,  Amelia,"  said  Alice  Hill. 

"Yes,"  returned  Amelia,  shuddering;  "now 
that  father  is  comfortable,  tell  me  all  about  it. 
I  know  Everard  saved  our  lives,"  and  she  closed 
her  eyes. 

"You  remember  father  said  he  felt  dizzy. 
Well,  naturally,  ajl  of  us  forgot  everything  and 
turned  to  him.  As  the  weight  all  went  to  one 
side,  the  little  concern  gave  a  lurch  and  over  we 
went" 

"And  I  k/f  Jsg  onsciousness  the  moment  the  boat 
capsized,"  crttd  Amelia. 

"And  I  held  on  to  the  seat  of  that  frail  boat 
with  the  energy  of  despair,  and  behold  you,  when 
it  turned  right  side  up  again,"  said  Alice,  laugh 
ing,  "there  I  was  safe.  Qf  course,  I  was  wet 
through  and  through,  but  even  when  I  came 
home  no  one  noticed  it  in  the  execitement.  I 
sent  Peter  for  Charlie's  things,  and  as  soon  as 
you  opened  your  eyes  ran  off,  changed  my 
clothes  and  had  some  hot  coffee." 

"Very  sensible.  Go  on.  I  have  not  heard  how 
I  was  rescued," 


i86  THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT 

"I  was  just  coming  to  that.  But,  Amelia,  I 
must  say  I  think  I  was  very  selfish,  very  wicked, 
that  night." 

"I  don't  see  how  you  had  time  for  wicked 
ness,  Alice." 

"Because,"  returned  she,  "in  that  instant  of 
extreme  despair  I  thought  of  myself.  My  hands 
clutched  the  boat,  to  save  whom  ?  Father  or  sis 
ter?  No,  but  to  save  myself,"  and  her  fair  face 
crimsoned  with  self-condemnation. 

"Don't  trouble  yourself,  dear  Alice,  about  that. 
Self-preservation  is  an  instinct.  Undoubtedly  in 
that  moment  of  dire  emergency  you  lost  your 
presence  of  mind  and  did  what  your  sister 
Amelia  would  have  done  under  the  same  circum 
stances." 

"Is  that  so?    I  feel  better  then." 

"Go  on,  I  am  waiting,"  said  Amelia,  a  little 
impatiently. 

"I  screamed  and  saw  a  man  jump  out  of  a 
boat  near  us,  to  catch  you  as  yon  came  up  to 
the  surface  and  take  you  to  laiuA(V. .  I  screamed 
again,  for  there  was  Charlie  holding  on  to  father, 
struggling  with  all  his  might.  With  that  dead 
weight  he  could  not  hold  out;  for  he  had  either 
to  let  father  go  or  be  drowned.  That  man 
jumped  in  the  water  again,  carried  father  to  the 
land,  and  Charlie  came  back  to  me  in  the  boat. 
It  was  fortunate  that  we  were  not  far  out  in  the 
stream." 

"But  the  man  was " 

"Mark  Everard,  as  you  know,  Amelia.  He 
has  been  very  ill,  but  is  in  his  office  again.  He 
was  coming  from  a  picnic  and  was  overheated." 


THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT  187 

"I  did  not  know  that,  Alice.  How  long  since 
that  occurred?  I  am  a  little  confused  yet." 

"Five  days  ago." 

"So  you  have  made  inquiries,  have  you?" 

"To  be  sure  I  have,  Amelia.  I  sent  there 
daily.  Did  he  not  come  up  and  inquire  for  you 
the  very  same  night  of  the  accident,  all  wet  and 
ill  as  he  was?" 

"Not  for  me  alone,  Alice;  but  some  one  must 
thank  him  for  all  this.  Father  cannot,  he  is  ill. 
Charlie  is  not  yet  one  of  the  family;  it  would 
seem  ungrateful  to  send  him." 

"Charlie  of  his  own  accord  has  been  there  and 
thanked  him  for  saving  the  father  and  sister  of 
'his  Alice,'  "  and  she  blushed. 

"Well,  then,  Alice,  you  must  go." 

"Indeed,  I  slipped  away  myself  yesterday,  tak 
ing  Mrs.  Whitman  with  me,  and  went  to  see 
Mr.  Everard.  Mrs.  Silverbaum — you  must 
know  she  and  Mr.  Berkhoff  have  been  con 
stantly  attending  on  him — said :  'Would  you  like 
to  see  him,  Miss  Hill?  He  is  sitting  in  the  arm 
chair.  He  is  one  grand  man.'  I  answered,  'I 
should  only  be  too  happy  to  express  my  thanks 
personally.'  " 

"What  answer  did  he  return?"  said  Amelia, 
eagerly. 

"He  sent  his  excuse  and  regrets,  but  would 
not  see  me.  I  was  never  so  astonished  in  my 
life.  He  is  generally  so  courteous,  so  kind  in 
his  manners." 

"What  is  to  be  done?" 

"Go  to  see  him  yourself,  this  very  day,  this 
very  hour,"  said  Alice. 


1 88  THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT 

"Do  you  think  I  should  ?" 

"Can  you  do  less,  Amelia?  Is  it  too  much  for 
you  to  say  'I  thank  you'  with  your  own  lips?" 

"Not  another  word,  Alice.  I  have  never 
swerved  from  duty,  but  I  would  to  God  that  I 
had  not  been  indebted  to  Mark  Everard  for  my 
life." 

"Is  he  not  good  enough  for  such  a  purpose? 
Does  your  prejudice  outweigh  your  good  sense? 
Would  you  have  him  executed  as  a  Spanish 
Queen  did  for  a  poor  subject  for  touching  her?" 
asked  Alice,  a  little  indignantly. 

"Alice,  I  feel  miserable  to-day,  very 
wretched,"  and  the  tears  trickled  down  Amelia's 
cheeks. 

"Are  you  ill  or  melancholy?  Charlie  will  be 
round  early  this  afternoon,  and  he  will  not  leave 
you  long  in  the  blues,"  said  Alice,  affectionately, 
throwing  her  arms  around  her  sister's  neck  and 
repeatedly  kissing  her. 

"You  feel  all  right  to-day,  don't  you?"  said 
Berkhoff  to  Everard,  as  he  came  into  his  office. 

"Yes,  I  feel  quite  well.  To-morrow,  please 
God,  I  am  going  to  work  on  my  cases.  I  have 
been  playing  invalid  long  enough.  You  have 
been  very  kind  to  me;  you  were  up  two  nights. 
I  raved  a  little  and  gave  you  some  trouble,  eh?" 
said  Everard. 

"Pshaw!  if  I  was  sick  you  would  do  the  same. 
Has  Mrs.  Silverbaum  been  here  to-day?" 

"Yes ;  what  a  good-natured  creature  she  is. 
Every  day  she  prepares  some  dainties  for  me,  as 
if  I  might  starve  in  the  hotel." 


THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT  189 

"Wha.t  do  you  think  of  Rebecca?"  said  Berk- 
hoff,  bluntly. 

"I  like  her  better  every  day,"  replied  Everard, 
smiling  at  such  a  question.  "She  has  a  good 
heart,  and  I  think  you  and  she  are  adapted  for 
each  other." 

"No  danger  of  her  throwing  off  on  a  man,  is 
there?" 

"Why,  Berkhoff,  I  am  indignant  at  such  sus 
picions,"  said  Everard. 

"Mark,  I  love  Rebecca.  I  can't  tell  you  what 
I  would  not  do  for  her,  but  what  will  she  do  for 
me?  If  ruin,  disgrace ' 

"What  are  you  talking  about?" 

"I  mean  loss  of  money,  loss  of  name.  Will 
she  share  those  troubles  with  me  ?"  said  Berkfioff 
excitedly. 

"If  she  is  the  true-hearted  girl  I  take  her  to 
be,  she  will.  But  why  on  earth  were  you  not 
married  long  ago?" 

"Rebecca  has  an  idea  it  is  more  stylish,  more 
American  like,  to  be  engaged  a  long  while.  Now 
I  shall  not  marry  until  I  see  how  I  stand." 

"Is  the  crisis— There  is  some  one  knocking  at 
the  outer  door,"  added  Everard. 

"It  is  the  cards  from  the  Misses  Hill,"  said 
Berkhoff,  opening  the  door  and  taking  the  cards 
from  the  office  boy.  "They  wish  to  see  you. 
Will  you  let  them  in?" 

"To  be  sure,"  said  Everard,  turning  pale,  "let 
them  be  admitted." 

"I  am  off,  Everard,  but  have  a  care.  Don't 
forget  your  grandfathers." 

"Mr.   Everard/'   said  Amelia,  walking  in,  "I 


190          THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT 

have  come  to  express  to  you  the  sincerest  thanks 
of  my  father  and  myself." 

'Tray  be  seated,  ladies.  Any  one  would  have 
done  as  I  did  under  the  same  circumstances." 

"Our  debt  of  obligation  is  so  great  that  it 
can  never  be  repaid.  If  pecuniary " 

"Miss  Hill,"  said  Everard,  with  flushed  face, 
"I  wish  no  thanks,  I  deserve  none ;  but  do  not  in 
sult  me." 

"I  beg  your  pardon ;  you  are  too  hasty.  I  was 
going  to  say,  if  pecuniary  considerations  prompt 
a  service  it  can  be  paid,  but  in  cases  like  the  pres 
ent,  the  obligation  is  too  heavy  to  permit  any 
mode  of  requital.  All  that  my  father  and  I  can 
do  is  to  acknowledge  the  debt,  and  I  have  called 
on  you  in  his  behalf  and  on  my  own  to  do  so." 

"Miss  Hill,  if  I  have  been  instrumental  in  do 
ing  you  a  good  service,  you  will  best  repay  me 
by  not  mentioning  it.  How  is  your  father?" 

"He  is  improving  nicely,  thank  you,  and  is 
very  anxious  to  see  you.  He  regrets  deeply 
your  illness  too."  Of  course  Amelia  did  not 
know  that  he  had  lost  two  clients. 

"Once  more  I  thank  you,"  said  she,  rising  to 
go.  "You  will  call  to  see  us,  will  you  not?"  and 
her  voice  was  low  and  vibrating. 

"If  you  invite  me,  Miss  Hill,  I  shall  certainly," 
replied  Everard  with  beaming  face. 

"You  will  always  be  welcome,"  answered 
Amelia,  bending  her  head.  "Good-bye,"  and  she 
extended  her  hand  to  him.  "How  your  hands 
tremble.  You  are  still  weak.  Take  care  of  your 
self." 


THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT  191 

"I  shall  soon  be  well  and  strong,"  returned 
Everard. 

For  once  Alice  found  herself  in  the  street  with 
her  sister  without  having  said  a  word. 

"Ah!"  said  Rebecca,  coming  in  with  her 
mother,  "you  have  had  company.  I  declare  I 
have  never  seen  you  look  so  happy." 

"I  have  just  been  thinking  over  something 
which  made  me  smile,"  said  Everard. 

"Yes ;  Miss  Hill  is  getting  gracious.  She  and 
her  sister  met  us  in  the  hall  and  she  condescended 
to  let  that  haughty  head  incline  the  least  bit.  I 
hate  such  pride  and  such  prejudices  as  she  pos 
sesses,"  and  Rebecca  gave  her  head  a  toss  and 
sat  down  in  the  chair  with  such  force  that  every 
hinge  creaked. 

"I  like  the  other  one  much  better,  Miss  Alice ; 
she  laughs  and  she  is  good.  This  one  I  don't 
like.  Why  didn't  you  let  the  other  one  in  yes 
terday  when  she  came  with  her  friend?"  said 
Mrs.  Silverbaum. 

"Because  my  head  ached.  Miss  Amelia  is  so 
gentle,  so  kind;  you  do  not  know  her." 

"Maybe  not.  What  an  admirable  nurse  she 
is,"  said  Rebecca,  "only " 

"Only  not  for  us." 

"I  think  she  would  not  let  us  suffer,"  said 
Everard,  warmly.  "I  think  women,  all  women, 
no  matter  what  their  cast,  creed  or  color,  capa 
ble  of  making  great  sacrifices." 

"Yes,  when  they  are  in  love,"  added  Rebecca. 

"Yes ;  they  are  all  in  love  at  one  time  or 
other,"  said  Everard,  laughing. 

"What  more  can  a  man  want  than  the  love  of 


192  THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT 

a  noble,  tender-hearted  woman,  who  will  sym 
pathize  with  him  in  trouble,  and  bravely  confront 
loss  and  ruin  for  his  sake?"  and  he  looked  at  Re 
becca  solemnly. 

''Rebecca's  heart  is  a  gold  mine,"  said  Mrs. 
Silverbaum.  "She  don't  care  for  nothing  but 
Berkhoff." 

"Thank  God,  though,  he  is  all  right,"  re 
turned  Rebecca.  "We  are  going  to  Letitia 
Rheinberg's  party  to-morrow  night.  Berkhoff  is 
going  to  bring  me  a  diamond  locket  this  evening. 
I  am  afraid  I  shall  cut  a  sorry  figure  by  the  side 
of  Grace  Feld." 

"Mr.  Lavalle  is  a  millionaire,"  said  Everard. 

"Well,  \vho  cares  whether  he  is  or  not?" 

"Certainly  not,  Miss  Rebecca.  But  his  in 
tended  should  outstrip  every  one  there;  he  is 
the  only  millionaire  in  town,"  said  Everard. 

"Mr.  Everard,  Mr.  Berkhoff  may  advise  me  in 
regard  to  money  matters,  but — 

"Rebecca,  Rebecca,"  spoke  Mrs.  Silverbaum, 
"Mr.  Everard  means  nothing.  He  is  good." 

"Your  mother  is  right,  Aliss  Rebecca.  I  am 
your  friend.  I  was  talking  as  I  might  have 
spoken  to  a  sister,"  added  Everard,  soothingly, 
but  he  was  well  aware  now  that  Berkhoff  \vas 
standing  on  treacherous  ground. 

"Of  course  you  are  my  friend.  Ma,  come,  I 
want  to  buy  some  things  yet  this  afternoon,"  said 
Rebecca. 

The  evening  of  the  party  for  which  Letitia  la 
bored  so  much  finally  arrived.  Many  invitations 
were  issued,  and  the  attendance  was  expected  to 


THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT  193 

be  large.  Letitia  felt  like  a  brave  general  going 
to  battle,  determined  to  conquer  or  die. 

Mr.  Rheinberg's  house  was  a  comfortable- 
looking  two-story  frame  building,  with  large, 
airy  rooms.  A  veranda,  around  which  twined 
the  large  flowered  clematis,  surrounded  the 
house.  The  garden  was  small  for  a  country  one, 
but  regularly  and  artistically  laid  out.  Every 
thing  was  executed  under  the  supervision  of  Le- 
titia's  picturesque  eye,  sometimes  by  her  exquis 
ite  hand.  The  rear  fences  were  covered  with 
gooseberry  and  raspberry  bushes;  in  the  front 
garden  stood  two  large  mulberry  trees,  which 
produced  luscious  berries  and  threw  their  cool 
ing  shade  over  the  front  of  the  house  and  over 
many  tender  plants,  whose  delicate  corollos 
would  otherwise  have  shriveled  during  sum 
mer  under  the  scorching  sun.  Arbor  vitaes,  be 
ing  indigenous  to  the  climate,  grew  luxuriantly 
along  the  fence. 

Letitia  contrived  to  have  all  the  trees  filled 
with  Chinese  lanterns  so  as  to  illuminate  the  gar 
den.  It  was  nearly  the  old  fable  of  the  Frog  and 
the  Ox. 

"Dear  Grace,"  said  Letitia,  "how  kind  of  you 
to  come  early.  Mr.  Lavalle,  I  shall  hand  you 
over  to  papa  for  awhile.  Come  upstairs,  Grace, 
and  remove  your  wraps." 

"Why,  Grace,  your  dress  takes  my  breath 
away.  You  are  decked  as  if  for  a  royal  recep 
tion.  The  pale  blue  silk  is  handsome,  and  this 
white  lace  overdress  must  be  worth  a  fortune, 
not  to  talk  of  the  diamond  solitaires  in  your 
ears  and  the  diamonds  and  pearls  encircling  your 


194  THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT 

wrists.  Did  you  ever  see  the  like?"  fairly 
screamed  Letitia,  "a  fan  covered  with  Brussels 
lace,  with  a  gemmed  handle,  and  a  comb  set  with 
brilliants.  Your  lace  handkerchief  is  so  fine  that 
spiders  might  have  woven  it." 

"You  see  these  ropes  of  pearls?  William  gave 
them  to  me  yesterday.  I  believe  he  sends  an 
order  every  day  to  New  York  for  something 
new.  He  must  be  as  rich  as  Crcesus." 

"A  regular  fairy  princess,  you  are,"  and  Leti 
tia  bit  her  lips  enviously. 

"Let  me  see  you,  Letitia  dear.  Your  white 
muslin  seems  molded  to  your  perfect  figure.  I 
like  dresses  made  decollette  and  short  sleeves, 
but  William  says  they  are  abominable.  Your 
hair  done  up  in  a  coil  becomes  you  well.  You 
look  beautiful,  but  you  wear  no  jewelry." 

"One  red  rose  is  enough  for  me,"  said  Letitia, 
proudly.  "Come,  let  us  go  into  the  parlor." 

In  a  short  time  the  house  was  crowded.  On 
all  sides  was  heard:  "How  elegant  Miss  Feld 
looks.  What  gorgeous  dressing!  Those  re 
splendent  jewels  are  worth  a  fortune;  an  em 
press  might  wear  them."  Again:  "How  plainly, 
but  attractively,  Miss  Rheinberg  is  attired.  How 
transcendently  lovely.  What  a  picture !"  Some 
of  the  admiring  guests  said:  "She  does  not  walk, 
she  floats.  Her  breath  is  perfume,  when  she 
treads  she  seems  to  scatter  flowers !" 

"Glad  to  see  you  here,  Everard,"  said  Berk- 
hoff.  "You  are  looking  well,  I  tell  you." 

"I  have  just  come  for  a  little  while,  merely  as 
a  spectator,  and  it  is  worth  my  time  I  see." 

"Everard,  ain't  you  going  to  dance  with  Miss 


THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT  195 

Rheinberg?  You  may  depend  upon  it,  she  is  a 
magnificent  woman.  Look  at  those  arms,  man ; 
neither  nature  nor  sculptor  ever  made  more  per 
fect  ones." 

"Berkhoff,  I  see  the  dimples  in  her  elbow  play 
ing  'hide  and  seek' — she  takes  very  good  care 
that  I  shall  observe  her  long,  graceful  neck  and 
symmetrical  shoulders.  What  then?"  returned 
Everard. 

"Because  she  is  just  the  girl  for  you ;  you  and 
she  would  make  a  fine  looking  couple." 

"Do  not  trouble  yourself  to  pair  me.  I  am 
doing  very  well  at  present,  but  when  I  do  marry, 
the  girl  must  have  more  to  recommend  her  than 
physical  attractions.  What  drew  you,  Berkhoff, 
to  Rebecca?" 

"I  don't  know  exactly.  You  know  she  is 
healthy  and  lively,  but  I  can't  say  I  want  her 
for  either  of  these  things.  She  is  in  some  way 
necessary  to  my  happiness." 

"Berkhoff,  I  tell  you  whenever  I  see  a  girl 
who  is  necessary  for  my  happiness,  and  I  can 
win  her,  I  shall.  That  will  be  doing  as  you  did," 
laughed  Everard. 

"Yes,  but  let  me  tell  you  I  looked  that  every 
thing  was  all  right.  You  may  not  see  straight, 
you  may  become  blind." 

"I  am  not  aware,"  answered  Everard,  coldly, 
"of  any  defect  in  my  vision.  Until  I  do,  I  shall 
not  require  the  aid  of  an  oculist." 

"Take  advice  in  time,"  said  Berkhoff,  eagerly, 
"it  may  be  only  a  little  spot  now;  it  can  be  cut 
out." 

"You  forget  yourself,  Mr.  Berkhoff.     But  if 


196  THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT 

this  is  the  way  I  am  to  become  blind,  then  wel 
come  blindness.  Well,  Miss  Rebecca,  are  you 
coming  to  join  us?"  said  Everard,  as  she  ap 
proached  with  Mr.  Atherton. 

"Yes,  I  have  been  dancing  with  Mr.  Atherton, 
and  asked  him  to  bring  me  here.  A  nice  thing 
that  I  have  to  look  for  you,  Berkhoff,"  said  Re 
becca,  poutingly. 

"I  am  sorry  to  leave  you,  but  duty  calls," 
added  Atherton  gayly,  as  the  music  struck  up. 

"I  was  just  having  a  little  talk  with  Everard," 
said  Berkhoff. 

"Indeed,  Mr.  Everard,  I  think  these  heated 
rooms  will  do  you  no  good,"  rejoined  Rebecca, 
considerately. 

"I  shall  not  remain  long.  How  divinely  Miss 
Rheinberg  waltzes  ?" 

"Everybody  is  in  raptures  over  that  girl.  I 
don't  see  where  her  great  beauty  comes  in,"  con 
tinued  Rebecca,  turning  up  her  nose. 

"She  is  grand,  Rebecca.  You  see  she  dresses 
plainly,"  and  Berkhoff  looked  pleadingly  into 
her  eyes. 

"She  is  dressed  with  Arcadian  simplicity," 
said  Everard. 

"You  mean  with  affected  simplicity.  She  is 
dressed  for  effect.  As  she  cannot  come  out  in 
the  splendid  attire  of  her  cousin,  she  would  fain 
make  people  believe  that  she  disdains  all  finery; 
Oh,  I  know  her  tricks,  the  artful  thing.  Look  at 
her  dancing  with  Lavalle,  with  her  half-laugh 
ing,  half-languishing  ways.  She  is  detestable, 
that's  what  she  is!"  snapped  Rebecca. 

"My  dear  Rebecca,  don't  you  see  she  is  very 


THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT  197 

handsome;  just  suits  Everard,"  said  Berkhoff, 
winking  hard  to  make  her  understand  his  desires. 

Rebecca  not  being  of  the  temperament  to 
tamely  listen  to  the  praise  of  another  girl,  would 
not  comprehend.  "Handsome!  she  is  an  envi 
ous  thing,  a  burning  volcano,  as  dangerous  as 
Aetna  or  Stromloli,"  said  Rebecca,  fiercely. 

"Maybe  those  ladies  were  not  as  bad  as  you 
think  they  were.  Where  do  they  live,  my  dear. 
I  think  you  are  too  hard,"  replied  Berkhoff. 

"My  friend,"  said  Rebecca,  "you  must  excuse 
me,  but  you  are  a  fool." 

"Aha !"  returned  Everard,  convulsed  with 
laughter,  "where  is  the  charming  Miss  Rebecca 
now  ?" 

Though  Lavalle  had  been  often  brought  into 
close  association  with  Letitia,  he  had  always  re 
garded  her  with  utter  indifference.  On  this  even 
ing  she  had  an  undefinable  attraction  for  him. 
When  she  brought  the  powerful  magetism  of  her 
eyes  to  bear  on  him,  which  she  had  previously 
endeavored  in  vain  to  do,  he  felt  as  if  a  current 
of  electricity  had  thrilled  his  frame.  He  could 
not  evade  the  glittering  eyes,  which  drew  and 
held  him  with  such  snake-like  power. 

"How  lovely  Letitia  looks,"  said  Grace  to  La 
valle. 

"Pretty  enough,"  answered  he  with  a  flutter 
ing  heart. 

"You  tremble.  Your  arm  weakens  under  this 
load  of  splendor,  with  which  I  have  adorned 
myself  to  gratify  you." 

"You,  dearest,  are  no  weight.  You  strengthen 
me  and  my  heart  is  cheered  by  your  presence. 


198  THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT 

While  you  are  with  me  I  cannot  be  weak,"  re 
plied  Lavalle,  witn  all  the  inconsistency  of  man, 
and  with  a  sickly  smile. 

"You  know,"  said  Grace  sweetly,  "I  arrayed 
myself  like  a  queen  to  please  you.  Whatever 
pleases  you,  pleases  me." 

"You  are  a  darling,"  said  he  aloud,  but  men 
tally  he  exclaimed :  "How  tiresome  that  eternal 
'everything  for  you.'  Grace  lacks  vivacity  and 
warmth  of  feeling.  Her  inspidity  reacts  upon 
me."  "This  was  Tenderden  steeple  being  the 
cause  of  Goodwin  sands." 

"Miss  Feld,  I  am  in  your  care  for  this 
dance,"  said  Mr.  Benson. 

"Dear  me,  let  me  see;  so  you  are." 

"I  shall  get  another  partner,  Grace,"  said  La 
valle,  and  he  immediately  sought  Letitia.  "Miss 
Letitia,  shall  we  dance  or  walk?" 

"Walk,  if  you  please.  I  am  almost  exhausted" 
from  dancing ;  walking  will  rest  me,"  and  Letitia 
cast  upon  him  her  luminous  eyes. 

"When  I  am  with  you  I  am  in  the  zenith  of 
my  heaven,"  said  Lavalle,  while  his  sense  of 
honor  made  him  feel  as  if  he  were  in  the  nadir. 

"You  can  have  no  heaven  away  from  Grace. 
It  would  be  wrong,"  answered  she  with  affected 
indignation. 

"Who  is  to  blame?  Your  wondrous  beauty 
leads  me  astray.  I  cannot,  like  Ulysses,  anti 
dote  myself  against  your  spells." 

"I  am  no  Circe,"  said  Letitia,  frigidly. 

"Have  you  not  metamorphosed  me  from  a 
most  devoted  lover  into  a  most  despicable  man; 


THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT  199 

making-  me  a  recreant  to  a  love  that  I  myself 
nursed  into  life?"  asked  Lavalle,  vehemently. 

"Well,  am  I  to  blame?"  said  Letitia,  sooth 
ingly.  "What  have  I  said  or  done  to  cause 
this?"  and  false  tears  came  to  her  eyes. 

"Do  not  make  me  frantic.  Let  us  dance,"  and 
Lavalle  threw  himself  into  the  waltz  with  a  sort 
of  reckless  joy. 

When  the  festivities  terminated,  Letitia 
mused:  "He  is  irrevocably  lost.  Awake,  my 
dream  is  to  be  realized.  I  shall  yet  snatch  him 
from  the  altar.  My  star  is  in  the  ascendant, 
while  Grace's  is  waning." 

William  Lavalle  went  from  the  party  to  his  ho 
tel,  restless;  his  soul  rilled  with  tribulation.  He 
could  not  brook  his  own  fickleness.  While  pas 
sion  declared  for  freedom  and  the  breaking  of 
his  vows,  conscience,  indignant  and  threatening, 
would  not  sanction  such  desecration.  To  Grace 
belonged  the  shrine  of  his  heart,  the  incense  he 
would  pour  to  a  strange  deity,  and  all  that  was 
best  in  his  heart  rose  in  revolt  against  his  bud 
ding  disloyalty.  When  once  the  germs  of  evil 
are  sown,  who  can  predict  the  result  of  the  con 
test? 

"I  know  I  must  have  disturbed  you  calling  so 
early,  Grace,"  said  Lavalle  next  morning,  "but 
I  have  scarcely  slept  since  I  left  you  last  night." 

"Are  you  sick  ?"  anxiously  inquired  Grace,  her 
blue  eyes  filling  with  tears. 

"No,  not  exactly,  dear;  but  disturbed  about 
you." 

"About  me !    Why  should  you  be  ?    I  am  well 


2oo  THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT 

and  happy  in  your  love,  thank  God;  what  more 
can  I  want?"  said  Grace  tenderly. 

"And  that  love  you  shall  have,"  added  Lavalle 
ardently. 

"I  hope  I  shall  never  live  to  doubt  it.  How 
glad  I  am,"  she  said  suddenly,  "that  you  never 
met  Letitia  before  we  were  engaged." 

"Why,  what  difference  would  that  make?" 

"Because,  William,  she  is  so  handsome.  Every 
body  was  whispering  about  her  beauty  last  night. 
Then  I  thanked  God  that  you  were  engaged  to 
me,  and  that  no  one  could  invade  my  rights,"  said 
Grace,  with  heightened  color. 

"Why,  you  are  not  afraid  of  Letitia,  are  you, 
Grace  ?" 

"Don't  misjudge  me.  My  confidence  in  her  is 
as  great  as  in  you.  My  own  cousin !  We  have 
been  almost  inseparable  companions,  and  my 
prayer  is  that  she  will  soon  be  as  happy  as  I 
am." 

"Dear  Grace,  you  are  a  seraph.  The  sun  and 
stars  will  cease  to  shine  ere  I  love  another!"  said 
Lavalle,  forgetting  his  tumultuous  fluctuations  of 
the  preceding  night. 

"I  shall  protest,  too,"  laughed  Grace.  "The 
Ethiopian  shall  change  his  skin,  the  earth  stand 
still " 

"Stop,  my  dear.  I  must  put  your  love  to  the 
test.  Grace,  darling,  I  think  it  is  time  to  reward 
my  patience.  I  want  to  claim  my  wife." 

"When  you  will,"  answered  she,  laying  her 
blushing  face  on  his  shoulder. 

"It  shall  be  soon  then.  Let  us  seal  it  with  a 
kiss,"  said  Lavalle,  kissing  her  rapturously. 


THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT  201 

"Kisses  are  to  man  what  nectar  and  ambrosia 
are  to  the  gods.  The  very  air  is  redolent  with 
the  perfume  of  our  love.  I  am  the  bee  that  sips 
from  the  sweet  mignonette  all  its  sweetness." 

"Are  you  all  deaf  in  here?"  said  Mrs.  Feld, 
coming  in  laughing.  "The  bell  has  rung  three 
times  for  lunch." 

"Is  it  luncheon  time?  I  am  sure  I  am  not 
hungry,"  returned  Lavalle,  endeavoring  not  to 
change  color. 

"Nor  I  either.  I  just  ate  my  breakfast  a  little 
while  ago,"  added  Grace,  apologetically. 

"I  ordered  a  very  nice  lunch,"  said  Mrs.  Feld. 

"Well  if  you  have  something  very  appetizing 
we  shall  do  justice  to  it.  We  must  try  and  do 
our  best,"  whispered  Lavalle  to  Grace. 


2O2  THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

"Well,  Grace,"  said  Lavalle,  "there  is  to  be 
a  lecture  this  evening,  one  of  the  series  'On  the 
Exploration  of  the  North  Pole/  By  Bernard 
Arnold.  We  must  go." 

"Is  he  a  Jew?" 

"Yes,  dear.  In  our  day  the  influence  of  the 
Jew  is  as  perceptible  in  the  halls  of  learning 
and  science  as  in  the  gold  market.  In  towns 
like  this,  everything  is  slow,  the  people  adhere 
longer  to  old  prejudices,  and  I  fear  Arnold  will 
not  have  much  success." 

"William,  will  you  take  Letitia  with  us  to  the 
lecture?  We  can  step  in  for  her.  She  will  be 
ready  in  a  moment,"  said  Grace,  on  the  evening 
of  Arnold's  lecture. 

"Grace,  dear,  it  is  much  nicer  to  go  alone.  I 
prefer  to  be  alone  with  you,"  answered  Lavalle, 
anxious  to  avoid  Letitia. 

"Dear  William,  of  the  fullness  of  my  happi 
ness,  I  should  like  Letitia  to  share.  Business  is  a 
little  pressing  now,  and  uncle  cannot  think  of 
leaving  the  store.  I  should  like  her  to  come,  but 
I  don't  wish  to  displease  you." 

"Anything  to  please  you,  darling.  Let  her 
come  with  us.  We  shall  call  for  her,"  said  La 
valle,  though  he  would  rather  have  shunned  the 
danger  than  braved  it. 


THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT  203 

"How  kind  of  you  all,"  said  Letitia.  "I  should 
have  moped  all  night  if  you  had  not  come  for 
me.  I  fear  two  women  will  be  a  burden  to  you, 
Mr.  Lavalle.  It  is  more  than  you  bargained  for," 
and  she  gave  a  low,  silvery  laugh,  which  sounded 
on  his  ear  like  the  musical  cadence  of  a  murmur 
ing  brook. 

"I  wonder,"  said  Lavalle,  looking  directly  at 
Grace,  but  feeling  himself  under  the  fascination 
of  Letitia,  "what  possessed  Arnold  to  advertise 
in  so  grandiloquent  a  style  as  'The  matchless  elo 
quence  of  the  most  renowned  orator  of  modern 
times'?  I  hate  such  rodomontade." 

"Do  you  think  he  will  have  a  full  house?"  in 
quired  Grace. 

"I  think  he  will,  for  many  will  go  out  of  curi 
osity,"  added  Letitia. 

"Take  care,"  said  Lavalle,  "don't  stumble  go 
ing  up  these  steps.  I  dare  say  we  shall  have 
some  light  in  the  hall." 

"Yes,  it  is  better  here.  A  fair  audience,  too. 
There  is  Mark  Anthony  Everard.  Do  I  see 
aright?  There  sit  Amelia  and  Alice  Hill,  also 
Mr.  Bennett.  What  could  have  induced  Amelia 
Hill  to  come  to  hear  a  Jew  speak  ?"  added  Letitia. 

"I  suppose  she  is  becoming  interested  in  Jews. 
No  doubt  she  expects  to  be  amused,"  returned 
Lavalle. 

"Yes ;  but  what  surprises  me  is  that  she  comes 
even  for  that.  No  Christian  family  in  town  have 
kept  themselves  so  aloof  from  all  intercourse 
with  the  Jews  here  as  the  Hills.  Alice  is  good- 
natured,  they  say,  but  Amelia  is  especially  bit 
ter,"  rejoined  Letitia. 


204  THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT 

"I  know  Alice  is  good,  and  Amelia  must  be 
so  too.  She  nursed  the  sick  during  the  cholera. 
That  is  evidence  enough,"  said  Grace. 

"Yes,  that  shows  of  what  stuff  she  is  made," 
returned  Lavalle. 

"No  doubt  she  is  good  to  her  own  class.  She 
thinks  probably  if  she  associated  with  us  she 
would  take  a  spasm  and  die.  Let  us  hear  what 
Mr.  Arnold  has  to  say,"  added  Letitia. 

The  lecturer,  a  dark,  handsome-looking  man, 
spoke  eloquently  on  his  theme,  and  transported 
his  audience  to  regions  of  perpetual  ice  and  snow, 
where  our  coldest  winter  would  be  warm  and 
genial. 

"How  did  you  like  it?"  said  Letitia  after  Ar 
nold  had  concluded. 

"I  think  it  was  very  good.  I  am  afraid  if  all 
their  efforts  since  1830  to  find  an  open  polar  sea 
they  have  not  succeeded  they  never  will,"  said 
Grace. 

"You  are  too  easily  discouraged,  Grace.  As 
you  have  heard,  it  has  been  the  dream  of  ex 
plorers  for  centuries,  and  will  be  till  they  suc 
ceed.  But  of  the  utility  of  such  a  discovery  we 
may  well  doubt.  Imagine  a  place  where  birds 
cannot  live,  where  chloric  ether  freezes  and 
where  the  respiration  becomes  sharp  and  pung 
ent?"  rejoined  Lavalle. 

"It  makes  me  cold  to  think  of  it.  I  feel  al 
ready  as  if  I  needed  a  ball  or  two  of  fat,  with 
some  walrus  liver  and  seal  as  dessert,  to  heat 
me  up,"  said  Letitia,  laughingly. 

"I  shall  be  compelled  to  deny  you  those  dain 
ties  at  present,"  but  in  a  serious  tone  Lavalle 


THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT  205 

continued:  "The  goodness  of  God  is  seen  every 
where,  for  even  in  those  regions  He  provides  for 
man.  Both  the  land  and  the  sea  contribute  food, 
clothing  and  fuel." 

"Would  you  like  to  go  there,  Mr.  Lavalle?" 
inquired  Letitia. 

"No,  no,  my  ambition  does  not  extend  so  far. 
I  would  not,  even  in  the  interest  of  science,  brave 
the  dangers  and  hardships  incidental  to  a  cruise 
to  the  North  Pole." 

"You  will  be  no  martyr  to  science,  then  ?"  said 
Letitia. 

"No,"  responded  Lavalle,  "I  shall  be  a  martyr 
only  to  love,"  and  he  glanced  at  Grace  and  then 
at  her  cousin. 

"Man  is  made  to  love,"  answered  Letitia,  with 
a  captivating  smile. 

"Did  not  Arnold  illustrate  it  in  the  example  of 
Captain  Tyson,  who,  feeling  the  want  of  some 
thing  to  pet,  took  in  his  arms  a  pretty  young  seal 
in  lieu  of  a  baby?" 

"How  cruel  of  the  whaler  to  kill  it,"  said 
Grace,  piteously.  "I  do  not  wonder  at  the  Cap 
tain  feeling  indignant  over  it.  How  much  the 
lecturer  has  shown  us." 

Letitia,  whose  mind  was  bent  upon  a  more  im 
portant  conquest  than  knowledge,  insinuatingly 
remarked,  "I  know  one  man  in  town  who  could 
handle  that  subject  better  than  Arnold." 

Now  if  there  was  one  weak  spot  in  the  com 
position  of  Lavalle — and  who  has  not  one  at 
least? — it  was  the  pride  of  knowledge.  On  this 
supposition  Letitia  took  her  cue  and  plied  it  well. 

"Good-night,  Grace,"  said  Letitia,  kissing  her. 


206          THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT 

"I  know  mother  will  be  down  when  she  hears  the 
gate  click.  She  always  waits  for  me  when  I  am 
out." 

Letitia,  like  a  Borgia,  could  poison  her  cousin 
with  a  kiss.  Ties  of  blood,  years  of  companion 
ship,  many  acts  of  kindness  and  love,  were  all 
swept  away  by  an  inordinate  desire  for  wealth, 
ambition  and  feminine  envy. 

Bernard  Arnold  was  one  of  those  fascinating 
men  whom  nature  had  endowed  with  considera 
ble  gifts.  Oratory  was  his  forte.  No  impedi 
ments  had  he,  like  the  great  Greek,  to  overcome. 
It  might  be  said: 

"His  talk  is  like  a  stream  that  runs 
With  rapid  change  from  rocks  to  roses; 
It  slips  from  politics  to  puns — 
It  glides  from  Mahomet  to  Moses." 

But  in  spite  of  his  superior  talents,  his  morals 
were  bad,  his  passions  were  uncontrollable,  and 
he  was  a  gambler  of  a  bad  type.  His  profes 
sion  as  a  lecturer,  however,  opened  many  doors, 
and  made  Mrs.  Feld's  home  accessible  to  him. 

"Miss  Feld,"  said  Arnold,  calling  at  her  home 
several  weeks  after  his  first  lecture,  "I  am  de 
lighted  to  find  you  at  home,  and  for  once  alone." 

"Indeed,  I  think  it  should  be  quite  indifferent 
to  you  how  you  found  me." 

"I  am  indifferent  to  nothing  that  concerns  you, 
dear  Grace." 

"Miss  Feld,  sir,  if  you  please,"  returned  Grace, 
with  dignity. 


THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT  207 

"You  must  give  me  the  privilege  of  calling 
you,  Grace.  Grace,"  said  Arnold  to  the  aston 
ished  girl,  "you  must  listen  to  my  cry  of  ardent 
love,  of  eager  longing  to  call  you  my  own." 

"Do  you  not  know,"  answered  Grace,  as  she 
drew  back  in  alarm,  "that  I  am  engaged  to  Mr. 
Lavalle?  Love  from  another  in  my  position  is 
an  insult." 

"What  care  I  for  that?  These  longings  of  my 
heart  will  not  be  repressed.  You  cannot  be  so 
cold  as  not  to  let  them  find  an  echo  in  your  heart. 
Say  you  will  be  mine,  and  I  shall  scout  a  thou 
sand  frigid  lovers  like  Lavalle." 

"I  scorn  you  and  your  love,"  said  Grace,  con 
temptuously.  "Mr.  Arnold,  will  you  leave,  or 
shall  I  be  under  the  necessity  of  ordering  you 
from  the  house?"  and  she  put  her  hand  on  the 
button. 

"Yes,   Miss   Feld,"   returned   Arnold,   turning 

furple  with  suppressed  anger,  "I  shall  leave,  but 
shall  return.     I  am  an  Indian  in  temper  and 
never  forgive.     Good-day." 

No  sooner  had  Arnold  departed  than  Grace's 
factitious  strength  gave  way,  and  she  sank  sob 
bing  into  a  chair.  "If  I  were  to  tell  Lavalle  of 
this,"  she  cried,  "he  would  think  I  encouraged 
him  in  some  way  or  other.  I  cannot  inform  my 
parents,  bowed  down  as  they  are  with  trouble, 
so  I  shall  keep  this  ugly  incident  locked  in  my 
own  breast.  I  need  not  fear  his  threats ;  they  are 
only  the  rage  of  a  baffled  villain." 


208  THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

Sorrow  and  discontent  sat  on  the  brow  of  Mr. 
Feld.  He  was  no  longer  the  handsome,  genial, 
light-hearted  man  of  yore.  His  brow  was  corru 
gated,  his  eyes  bloodshot,  his  cheeks  sunken,  his 
nose  red,  and  his  lips  tremulous — an  indication 
of  weakness.  He  was  now  an  inveterate  game 
ster.  He  also  drank  again  to  excess,  and  would 
lie  when  intoxicated  in  a  heavy  sleep  for  hours. 
The  debauch  overcome,  he  would  meet  the  morti 
fied  and  repugnant  looks  of  his  wife  only  with 
fierce  and  angry  scowls.  The  humbled,  tender 
and  half  reproachful  gaze  of  Grace  would  indeed 
move  his  heart  and  make  him  often  mentally  vow 
"Never  to  touch  another  drop,"  but  these  worthy 
resolutions  were  invariably  broken. 

"Well,  Ruth,"  said  Mr.  Feld  to  his  wife,  "why 
do  you  not  hurry  up  this  wedding?" 

"How  can  I?  I  do  all  in  my  power  to  bring 
matters  to  a  point,  but  nothing  works." 

"Nothing  works,"  said  Mr.  Feld,  his  passion 
rising,  "everything  works  against  me.  My  busi 
ness  is  ruined — Berkhoff  did  that.  The  property 
I  bought  is  poorly  located,  and  the  house  over 
our  heads  is  mortgaged.  Bankruptcy  is  staring 
me  in  the  face.  Do  you  know  that?" 

"Berkhoff  never  ruined  you.  Your  terrible, 
vicious  hnbits,  drinking,  gambling,  did  that.  The 
devil  pulled  you  down." 


THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT  209 

"I  say  he  did  ruin  trade ;  he  forces  everything 
and  so  do  you.  You  drive  a  man  down,  down 

"Henry,  have  I  not  coaxed  you,  begged  you, 
prayed  of  you  to  change  your  habits?  What 
good  has  it  done?"  said  Mrs.  Feld,  weeping  and 
rocking  herself  to  and  fro.  "You  have  soured 
my  temper  in  making  me  miserable.  Because 
Berkhoff  attends  to  business  and  thrives,  you  say 
he  ruined  you." 

"Never  mind  him,  he  must  fail  sooner  or  later. 
As  for  Grace,  I  will  go  after  Lavalle  and  tell 
him  he  must  marry  her  at  once.  It  is  time,  I  am 
sure.  Is  this  thing  to  go  on  forever?  You 
women  always  do  things  by  halves." 

"It  is  such  a  delicate  matter  that  I  cannot  talk 
to  him  about  it.  I  wish  I  could." 

"Dry  your  tears,  Ruth.  He  don't  come,  so  I 
will  go  after  him,"  and  with  this  fixed  purpose 
in  view,  he  slouched  on  his  hat  and  went  into  the 
street. 

"Hello !"  said  Bernard  Arnold,  "where  are  you 
going?" 

"Nowhere  in  particular,"  answered  Mr.  Feld. 

"Come  with  me  then,"  continued  Arnold,  lock 
ing  his  arm  in  Feld's;  "let  us  have  a  toss  up  at 
the  cards." 

"All  right."  Mr.  Feld,  with  distended  vision, 
saw  luck  smiling  upon  him,  canceling  mortgages 
and  restraining  the  thunderbolt  which  was  ready 
to  strike.  He  played  lightly,  he  won ;  more  heav 
ily,  he  won ;  but  when  the  stakes  were  quadrupled 
he  lost.  Again  and  again  he  lost,  and  before  he 
could  realize  his  altered  position  he  had  given 


2io  THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT 

his  note  for  twenty  thousand  dollars,  payable  in 
three  days. 

Mr.  Feld  rose  from  the  table  not  only  a  ruined 
man,  but  a  thoroughly  desperate  one ;  an  Orestes 
in  wrath,  but  not  in  righteousness.  He  stag 
gered  to  the  door  in  a  kind  of  wild  blindness, 
left  the  den  and  rushed  off,  he  knew  not,  cared 
not,  whither.  Whence  was  his  redemption  to 
come  ?  from  heaven  or  hell  ?  His  triumphant  op 
ponent  watched  him  with  malignant,  exultant 
joy.  His  eyes  gleamed  with  a  savage  light  and 
he  muttered  crossly.  "Now  for  my  revenge, 
sweet  revenge.  I  will  now  make  this  girl  throw 
aside  her  rich,  haughty  lover  and  force  her  to 
wed  the  adventurer.  Ah !  my  charming  Grace, 
twenty  thousand  dollars  shall  you  bring  with 
you.  A  very  good  dowry,  and  a  very  acceptable 
one,  too." 

This  was  one  of  the  many  instances  where  the 
insulter  thinks  himself  insulted  and  thirsts  for 
vengeance. 

The  last  ray  of  the  setting  sun  streaked  the 
window  of  Grace's  chamber  with  a  gold  and  pur 
ple  light.  She  sat  and  bathed  in  his  departing 
glory,  till  twilight  tinged  each  object  with  som 
ber  gray.  The  despair  that  had  crept  over  her 
during  the  day  began  to  dissolve  in  the  hope  that 
night's  shadow  would  soon  cause  her  lover  to  ap 
pear. 

Grace  attired  herself  with  unusual  care,  and 
said  aloud,  "He  will  soon  be  here."  A  restless 
ness  caused  her  to  walk  towards  the  window, 
look  wistfully  out  of  it,  then  turn  back  and  pause 
before  the  mirror.  "Ah,  my  toilette  is  not  com- 


THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT  211 

plete.  I  must  wear  my  diamonds  this  evening. 
How  absent  minded  I  am.  Once  William  said  I 
should  be  his  queen  and  that  I  should  always 
dress  like  one.  That  was  some  weeks  ago.  How 
long  it  seems.  A  century  to  me.  Oh !"  and  she 
uttered  a  deep-drawn  sigh.  "I  shall  put  on  my 
dazzling  ornaments,"  and  the  action  followed  the 
words.  "Ah,  they  do  indeed  look  beautiful,  but 
my  heart  is  no  lighter  than  before.  Though  I 
look  more  queenly,  I  am  not  happier.  I  know 
not  whether  it  is  presentment  or  fear,  but  a  dark 
ness  hovers  around  me  that  obscures  my  sight.  I 
am  weak,"  and  she  sat  down  trembling  and  over 
come  with  emotion. 

The  firmament,  studded  with  myriads  of  bril 
liants,  those  "forget-me-nots  of  the  heavens," 
glimmered  and  twinkled  unmindful  of  man's 
woes.  The  heavenly  hosts  have  no  sympathy 
with  human  weakness  and  littleness.  Vain  mor 
tals  hide  your  pride.  Each  glittering  star  in  the 
blue  vault,  each  tree,  each  flower,  admonishes  us 
as  with  the  small,  still  voice  of  their  Master, 
"Man,  thou  art  nothing.  Weigh  well  each  passing 
hour  and  let  it  record  for  thee  a  good  deed  before 
it  has  fled." 

"I  shall  go  to  mother,"  resumed  Grace,  with 
half-opened  eyes,  "who,  though  herself  op 
pressed  with  care,  may  relieve  mine." 

Mother!  the  holiest,  sweetest  and  most  un 
selfish  being  under  the  sun.  Woman,  once  a 
mother,  is  a  metamorphosed  being.  What  con 
centration  of  tenderness,  self-abnegation  and 
Divine  love  cluster  around  the  sacred  name  of 
Mother. 


'212  THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT 

As  Grace  rose  from  her  seat  to  seek  her  par 
ents,  there  was  a  slow,  noiseless  tread  on  the 
carpeted  hall,  the  door  turned  slowly  on  its 
hinges ;  she  rushed  forward,  exclaiming,  "Wil 
liam,  at  last  you  are  here."  Then  "Father,  is  it 
you?"  and  she  met  the  upturned,  sad  gaze  of  her 
father. 

"My  child,"  said  Mr.  Felcl,  with  wild  and  hag 
gard  looks,  "can't  you  tell  my  steps  from  your 
lover's?" 

"Father,  what  is  the  matter  with  you?  I  en 
treat  you  to  tell  me.  You  are  trembling,"  and 
Grace  laid  her  head  on  his  shoulder.  "I  know 
something  must  have  happened.  Your  voice, 
your  action,  speaks  despair." 

"Nothing  is  the  matter,  child.  I  was  looking 
for  your  mother.  She  was  not  in  her  room,  and 
I  thought  she  might  be  here.  But,  child,  does 
William  Lavalle  stay  away  so  late  now?  Noth 
ing  could  have  kept  me  from  my  Ruth  in  the 
days  of  my  courtship." 

Grace  hung  her  head  in  confusion,  and  unbid 
den  tears  stole  down  her  cheeks. 

Those  tears  smote  Mr.  Feld  more  than  the 
heaviest  blows  would  have  done.  In  the  midst 
of  overwhelming  anxieties  and  sorrows,  he  never 
dreamed  that  Lavalle  might  waver  in  his  love. 

"Poor  little  Grace,  my  Grace,"  her  father  mur 
mured  as  he  patted  her  little  hands. 

That  burst  of  affection  caused  the  sobs  to  rise 
in  her  throat;  she  longed  to  throw  herself  in  her 
father's  arms  and  weep  unrestrainedly  on  his 
bosom. 

"Father !" 


THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT  213 

"Grace!"  said  he,  with  a  sudden  motion  and  a 
peculiar  flash  of  his  eyes. 

Grace  turned  from  her  father  and  walked  to 
the  window  for  air.  As  she  turned  the  light 
shone  on  her  jewels,  rendering  them  more  mag 
nificent  than  they  had  before  appeared  to  him. 
The  gems,  with  their  thousand  brilliant  gleam- 
ings,  now  matured  a  thought  which  a  moment 
previous  had  but  germinated.  A  golden  apple 
hung  before  Mr.  Feld.  He  abruptly  left  the 
room  and  went  to  his  wife's  apartment.  Mrs. 
Feld,  who  was  now  there,  said  in  a  sfiarp  voice, 
"What  did  Lavalle  say?" 

Mr.  Feld  threw  himself  into  the  chair  with 
out  uttering  a  syllable. 

"Where  have  you  been,  you  miserable  man?" 
resumed  Mrs.  Feld,  scrutinizing  his  trembling 
figure  and  dejected  countenance. 

"Spare  me,"  answered  the  once  strong  man, 
now  depressed  and  humiliated  by  drink  and  gam 
bling.  "Ruth,  what  you  have  so  long  prophesied 
has  come  to  pass.  We  are  ruined;  there  is  noth 
ing  left  me  but  to  die." 

That  voice,  so  tender,  so  low,  so  full  of  de 
spair,  struck  on  her  heart  like  a  chant  of  the 
dead.  Its  pathos  recalled  the  happy  hours  of  her 
youth,  when  he  stood  beside  her  in  his  manly 
beauty  and  vowed  to  love,  cherish  and  protect 
her.  Those  sweet  and  charming  words,  so  dear 
to  woman's  heart,  and  for  which  her  soul 
thirsted,  were  now  recalled. 

"My  heart  breaks  when  I  think  of  the  past," 
said  Mrs.  Feld,  putting  her  face  to  his  and 
throwing  her  arms  around  his  neck. 


214  THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT 

"Dear  Ruth,  don't  cry.  Your  tenderness 
makes  my  heart  soft  and  my  eyes  overflow,"  and 
their  tears  mingled  together.  "Ruth,  be  quiet," 
said  Mr.  Feld,  after  his  own  emotion  had  sub 
sided.  "I  will  tell  you  all,"  and  he  related  simply 
the  predicament  in  which  he  was  placed. 

"Can  you  not  borrow?  Where  are  your 
friends?  They  must,  they  will,  save  you,"  re 
turned  Mrs.  Feld,  wildly. 

"I  am  already  in  debt  a  few  hundred  to  your 
brother,  a  large  sum  for  him.  I  have  so  over 
drawn  in  the  bank  that  I  am  afraid  to  show  my 
face  there.  I  cannot  raise  another  dollar  on  my 
property.  Everything  is  mortgaged  at  twice  its 
value.  As  for  friends,  they,  like  swallows,  fly 
when  winter  comes,  and  what  is  poverty  but  win 
ter.  Some  of  my  friends,  knowing  that  trouble 
is  ahead,  look  at  me  coldly,  nod  to  me  distantly. 
Their  liking  'for  the  jolly  good  fellow'  has  gone. 
The  breath  of  summer  the  winter  freezes.  I 
feel  that  icy  touch  now;  it  will  kill  me." 

"Heavens,  it  must  not  be.  I  will  pray  to  God, 
He  will  help  us.  I  wish  my  poor  diamonds  could 
save  you.  What  matter  to  part  with  those  glassy 
gewgaws?  I  wish  Grace's  were  mine.  How 
quickly  would  you  be  free  from  this  terrible 
debt." 

"Who  said  I  should  take  the  diamonds,  ruin 
my  child  to  save  my  honor?"  asked  Mr.  Feld, 
hoarsely,  pacing  up  and  down  with  rapid  strides. 

"No  one,"  said  Mrs.  Feld,  looking  up  in  as 
tonishment. 

"But,  Ruth,  if  the  jewels  of  Grace  were  turned 
into  money,  I  could  at  least  pay  Arnold.  He 


THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT  215 

may  not  trouble  me,  press  me,  I  mean,  but  it  is 
a  peculiar  kind  of  debt,  a  debt  of  honor,  and  6h, 
that  note!  if  he  holds  it  over  my  head  what  shall 
I  do  ?  Those  diamonds  haunt  me,"  and  Mr.  Feld 
pressed  his  hands  to  his  temples  and  groaned. 

"You  would  not,"  returned  his  wife,  "make 
Grace  miserable.  William  might  miss  the  dia 
monds,  then  what?" 

"True,  Ruth,  true.  I  will  not  make  her  un 
happy  again.  I  tore  her  away  from  one  man, 
or  you  did  that;  she  now  loves  Lavalle  with  her 
whole  heart.  I  would  not  be  so  cruel.  I  could 
not.  But  what  a  free  man  that  would  make  me! 
Having  escaped  from  such  a  danger,  I  could  try, 
I  would,  so  help  me  God,  I  should  try  to  be  a 
new  man.  Ruth,  help  me,"  and  he  stamped  his 
feet  and  reached  out  his  arms  in  the  helplessness 
of  his  conflicting  emotions. 

"There  is  no  way,"  moaned  Mrs.  Feld. 

"You  forget  the  diamonds,"  gasped  Mr.  Feld. 
"Lavalle  might  not  miss  them  until  he  is  mar 
ried,  and  then  he  could  not  go  back." 

"But  Grace  would  be  miserable.  You  know 
her  truthful  nature." 

"And  she  might  not  consent  to  do  it,  easy- 
natured  as  she  is.  Let  me  be  dishonored  rather 
than  destroy  her  happiness,"  continued  Mr.  Feld. 
"The  diamonds  are  but  mockers,  tempters  to 
drag  me  down.  I  will  not  think  of  them." 

"Think,  Henry,  only  of  our  darling  Grace." 

A  different  scene  was  transpiring  in  the  parlor. 
It  was  quite  late  before  Lavalle  came  to  see 
Grace.  She  no  sooner  heard  him  coming  up  the 


2i6  THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT 

walk  than  she  flew  to  the  door,  her  dress  of  fine 
silk  rustling  as  she  ran. 

"Aha!  you  anticipated  my  coming,  I  see,"  said 
Lavalle,  as  Grace  opened  the  door  before  his 
hand  touched  the  bell. 

"What  has  kept  you  so  long?  Have  you  been 
ill?  I  have  been  very  anxious.  Why  do  you 
now  always  come  so  late?  Your  face  looks 
flushed.  What  is  the  matter  with  you?"  said 
Grace,  flooding  him  with  questions  and  not  wait 
ing  for  answers. 

"What  should  be  the  matter?"  replied  Lavalle, 
blushing  and  paling  alternately.  "A  business  let 
ter  of  importance  detained  me  this  evening.  My 
affairs  were  no  sooner  attended  to,  than  I  flew 
on  the  wings  of  the  wind  to  be  with  you,"  and 
he  kissed  her  as  tenderly  as  if  his  words  were 
truth,  though  his  heart  quailed  at  the  deception. 

"Have  you  nothing  else  to  say  about  it?" 
asked  Grace. 

"Nothing,  but  that  I  love  you." 

"I  hope  so,"  responded  Grace,  innocently.  "Is 
my  attire  in  good  taste  to-night  ?  You  know  you 
always  say,  'For  my  sake  exercise  your  faculty 
in  discerning  what  is  beautiful  in  dress,'  and  so 
I  try  my  best  to  please  you." 

"You  look  beautiful." ' 

"But,  William,  these  diamonds  have  become 
hateful  to  me,  because  I  put  them  on  expressly 
for  you,  and  I  do  believe  they  keep  you  away. 
Really,  I  don't  care  for  them  half  as  much  as  be 
fore.  Some  stones  keep  away  evil  spirits;  dia 
monds,  I  think,  have  the  fatality  to  keep  away 


THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT  217 

good  ones,"  and  Grace  looked  playfully  at  La- 
valle. 

"Charmer,  diamonds  are  for  dark  complex 
ions  and  pearls  for  fair  ones." 

"Indeed!  to  punish  you,  I  shall  not  wear  the 
diamonds  again  until  we  are  married,"  said 
Grace,  blushing  with  confusion  at  the  words  in 
advertently  spoken,  and  to  cover  them,  contin 
ued,  "Diamonds  become  the  dark ;  Letitia  is  dark, 
then  they  should  become  her." 

"I  did  not  say  that,"  and  Lavalle's  face  red 
dened  as  his  guilty  thoughts  reverted  to  the  siren 
who  had  detained  him  that  and  so  many  even 
ings,  and  made  him  a  traitor  and  a  hypocrite. 
With  a  smile  he  resumed,  "Diamonds  are  pretty 
for  some  occasions,  other  jewels  or  no  jewels  at 
times  look  as  well." 

"You  are  becoming  Arcadian  in  your  tastes. 
At  all  events  you  are  punished,"  retorted  Grace, 
whose  pride  was  touched. 

"I  submit,  on  condition  that  you  will  not  be 
anxious  about  me  when  I  am  not  here  to  the 
moment.  I  have  not  seen  your  father  to-day, 
Grace,  though  I  have  passed  his  place  of  busi 
ness  several  times;  but  I  did  see  your  distin 
guished  looking  orator,"  said  Lavalle,  half  mock 
ingly.  He  seemed  flushed  with  triumph  and  ex 
citement.  "Do  you  know,  I  had  at  first  an  en 
tirely  different  opinion  of  that  man.  He  has 
ways  about  him  that  I  detest.  He  boards  at  my 
hotel,  so  I  learn  many  things  which  are  not  to 
his  credit.  Does  he  ever  come  here?"  and  he 
fixed  his  dark  eyes  searchingly  upon  her  face. 


2i8  THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT 

Grace  grew  pale,  prevaricated,  but  finally  said, 
"He  has  called  to  see  father  several  times." 

"I  tell  you,"  returned  Lavalle,  earnestly,  "let 
your  father  beware  of  Arnold;  for  he  is  a  gam 
bler  of  the  vilest  character." 

Grace  turned  a  shade  paler.  Her  father's  ha 
rassed  face,  with  its  unutterable  despair,  rose  be 
fore  her.  His  significant  look  at  her  diamonds 
made  her  tremble  lest  he  was  already  undone. 

Grace  had  a  presentment  it  would  be  with  her 
as  with  the  man  who  ran  through  the  streets  of 
Jerusalem  crying,  "Woe  unto  Jerusalem,  woe, 
woe  unto  others,"  and  when  at  last  a  ball  struck 
him,  he  cried,  "Woe  unto  myself."  So  she 
moaned,  "Woe  for  my  father,  woe  for  my 
mother,  woe  for  myself." 

When  Lavalle  had  taken  leave  of  Grace,  she 
ran  to  her  mother's  room  and  tried  the  door 
gently;  it  yielded  to  her  touch.  Mrs.  Feld  was 
sitting  in  the  dark,  absorbed  in  her  own  thoughts. 
She  did  not  hear  her  daughter  enter,  and  just 
then  muttered,  "I  would  to  God  Grace's  dia 
monds  were  mine!" 

Grace  waited  to  hear  no  more,  but  fled  in  ter 
ror  to  her  room,  bolted  the  door  and  hastily  tore 
the  diamonds  from  her  person.  Trouble  had 
come,  the  diamonds  could  save. 

"What  shall  I  do  in  this  dilemma?"  sobbed 
Grace.  "I  shall  throw  myself  on  the  generosity 
of  William.  He  is  as  rich  as  a  Maharaja,  noble- 
hearted,  magnanimous,  and  he  will  come  to  the 
rescue.  But,  oh,"  and  a  pang  of  jealousy  shot 
through  her  heart,  "a  supplicant  now,  when  his 
love  appears  to  be  waning,  is  too  much.  Am  I 


THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT  219' 

to  be  supplanted  by  another?  Letitia  is  dark,  I 
am  fair.  Am  I  not  destined  for  happiness  ?  Will 
something  occur  to  blight  my  second  love?  Re 
ligion,  with  her  unpitying  hand,  crushed  out  the 
first,  now  fatality  threatens  to  rob  me  of  the  sec 
ond.  I  cannot  struggle  against  wind  and  tide. 
Sister  Louise  said,  'When  all  forsake  thee,  turn 
unto  God.'  I  shall  be  nearer  heaven  then." 

Wearied  with  her  torturing  reflections,  Grace 
went  to  bed  and  fell  into  a  troubled  sleep,  from 
which  she  awoke  with  a  start.  She  had  dreamt 
that  she  had  committed  some  fearful  crime,  and 
been  condemned  to  perpetual  banishment  to  a 
solitary  island,  where  serpents  and  wild  animals 
lived.  To  add  to  her  misery,  through  some  in 
explicable  means,  what  she  dreaded  most  had 
come  to  pass;  she  had  become  Arnold's  wife! 

Rauch  tells  us  that  in  dreams  both  persons  and 
things  have  a  kind  of  ubiquity,  and  that  in  the 
twinkling  of  an  eye  we  can  skim  continents.  Nat 
urally,  for  imagination  travels  where  it  will  with 
the  speed  of  light. 


220          THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT 


CHAPTER  XX. 

Aurora,  goddess  of  the  day,  ushered  in  the 
morning,  streaking  mansion  and  cot  with  a  rus 
set  light.  Even  to  the  most  despairing  will  her 
breath  and  tints  quicken  a  pulse  of  life  and  hope. 
The  youth  of  each  day  shadows  for  us  the  joy  of 
the  primeval  earth,  where  the  hearts  of  all  ani 
mated  beings  shall  bound,  free  forever  from  the 
curse  of  pain  and  death. 

A  few  mornings  after  Lavalle  had  warned 
Grace  in  regard  to  Arnold,  when  the  sun  was 
high  on  the  horizon,  she  dressed  hurriedly  and 
went  to  breakfast.  Her  parents  already  having 
taken  their  morning  meal,  she  hastily  drank  a 
cup  of  coffee,  leaving  untouched  the  many  deli 
cacies  that  were  put  before  her.  She  went  into 
the  hall,  and  in  passing  the  library  (the  door  of 
which  was  closed)  her  attention  was  arrested  by 
the  sound  of  loud  voices  within.  She  heard  her 
father  in  a  quivering  voice  say,  "Never,"  and 
then  a  quiet,  malicious  response,  "You  know  the 
consequences,"  in  a  voice  she  recognized  as  Ar 
nold's. 

"Alas!"  she  mentally  said,  "William's  warning 
has  come  too  late.  Arnold  is  already  imposing 
conditions;  my  father  f<|  in  his  talons." 

"Mamma,"  cried  Grace,  rushing  into  her  moth 
er's  room,  where  Mrs.  teld  sat  groaning  with 
grief,  "what  does  Arnold  want  of  papa?" 


THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT  221 

"Child,  I  am  miserable." 

"But  what  can  he  want?"  said  Grace,  as  she 
encircled  her  mother  in  a  firm  embrace  and  the 
tears  ran  quickly  down  her  cheeks. 

Mrs.  Feld  was  on  the  point  of  discharging  her 
overburdened  heart  when  the  door  was  thrown 
open  and  Mr.  Feld  entered  with  a  feverish  and 
agitated  look,  saying:  "I  am  ruined,  worse  than 
that,  lost.  I  am  a  beggar  at  Arnold's  feet.  He 
has  no  mercy.  He  will  not  give  me  time,  only 
on  one  condition ;  but  no,  not  for  ten  thousand 
times  ten  thousand  dollars  would  I  consent  to  it." 

"What  is  it?"  asked  Grace,  with  a  vague 
dread. 

"My  heart  beats  with  anger,  my  cheeks  red 
den  with  shame,  that  I  must  tell  you  that  das 
tard's  price  of  my  honor." 

"Speak,  father,  I  implore  you." 

"You,  you,"  answered  he,  fiercely,  "are  to  buy 
my  honor.  My  child,  I  am  in  his  power.  You, 
my  own  child,  are  to  throw  off  your  engaged 
husband  and  become  his  wife.  He  says  he  must 
speak  with  you  alone,  the  scoundrel." 

"Calm  yourself,  dear  father."  A  half  century 
appeared  to  have  passed  over  the  head  of  Grace. 
She  thought  she  was  no  longer  a  timid  girl,  but 
a  resolute  woman.  "He  must  yield.  Let  me 
speak  with  this  Minotaur,  who  would  devour 
us." 

"No,  my  poor  darling,  he  shall  not  eat  you  up," 
moaned  her  mother. 

"You  are  right,  go  speak  to  him,"  rejoined  the 
father.  "He  would  not  take  my  'no'  for  an  an- 


222  THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT 

swer.  He  says  you  must  come  and  answer  for 
yourself." 

"Well,  father,  I  shall  go  and  see  what  can  be 
done  with  this  revengeful  villain." 

"Go,  my  noble  child.  Of  course  you  will  not 
give  up  Lavalle,  but  humor  Arnold  a  little,  put 
him  off  with  kind  words,  only  gain  time.  Re 
member,"  and  Mr.  Feld  looked  at  her  beseech 
ingly,  "your  father's  honor  is  at  stake." 

Honor  is  a  precious  thing,  but  Mr.  Feld  did 
not  seem  to  comprehend  the  real  import  of  the 
word.  To  be  faithful  to  his  promise  with  his 
brothers  of  the  gambling  fraternity  was  to  him 
of  the  first  importance — a  cardinal  virtue.  The 
deferred  payment  of  other  just  debts  did  not 
affect  him  nearly  so  deeply. 

Grace  left  the  room  and  approached  the  library 
with  a  firm  step,  but  when  her  hand  touched  the 
doorknob  the  blood  forsook  her  face  and  forced 
itself  back  to  the  arteries  of  her  heart,  and  she 
was  almost  compelled  to  yield  to  woman's  weak 
ness  and  faint.  She  persisted  and  made  another 
ineffectual  effort,  when  it  was  opened  noiselessly 
from  within,  and  Arnold,  calm  and  imperturba 
ble,  stood  before  her.  It  had  been  the  boast  of 
his  life  that  he  had  never  seriously  undertaken 
anything  without  succeeding.  And  never  did  he 
embark  in  an  undertaking  more  resolutely  than 
in  this  insane  one  of  making  Grace  his  wife. 

"I  am  under  a  thousand  obligations  to  you, 
Miss  Feld,  for  so  readily  granting  me  an  inter 
view,"  said  Arnold,  in  a  bland  voice  and  the  ut 
most  sang-froid.  "It  is  more  than  I  dared  hope 
for.  But  I  have  returned  according  to  my  prom- 


THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT  223 

ise,"  and  he  compressed  his  lips,  then  laughed, 
and  showed  his  white,  gleaming  teeth. 

"You  are  here.  And  I,"  said  Grace,  haughtily, 
forgetting  her  father's  request  to  be  forbearing, 
"have  complied  with  your  incomprehensible,  ab 
surd  demand." 

"Your  father,  I  see,  has  given  you  a  glimpse 
of  the  situation.  It  is  well.  I  shall  now  endeavor 
to  make  you  understand  affairs.  Throw  yourself 
on  my  protection,  give  me  the  right  to  call  you 
mine,  and  all  will  go  well,"  and  Arnold's  eye 
flashed  and  his  dark  cheek  crimsoned.  This 
gambler,  this  Lothario,  who  had  broken  women's 
hearts  and  cast  them  away,  had  conceived  for 
Grace  a  love  mixed  with  hate.  This  fruit  was 
all  the  more  attractive  because  it  was  forbidden. 
For  the  moment  revenge  was  forgotten  in  love. 
"I  love  you,"  resumed  he,  with  quickened  breath 
and  dilated  eyes,  as  he  approached  and  attempted 
to  take  her  hand. 

"Beware,"  returned  Grace,  starting  abruptly 
and  retreating  towards  the  door.  "My  father  is 
within  call." 

"Dearest  girl,  fear  no  violence.  I  implore,  be 
seech,  entreat  you  to  become  mine.  You  shall 
never  repent  it.  Every  moment  of  my  life  shall 
be  dedicated  to  you.  You  will  be  my  divinity, 
for  I  love  you  to  madness.  Tell  me  what  to  do 
for  you  and  I  shall  do  it  or  die  in  the  attempt. 
Tell  me  anything  except  to  leave  you." 

"Your  love,"  said  Grace,  shuddering,  "is  as 
poisonous  as  the  upas  tree.  Your  language  is  ir 
rational.  I  will  not  listen  to  it.  If  that  is  all 


224  THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT 

you  have  to  say,  I  shall  go,"  and  she  made  a 
movement  to  the  door. 

"Stop,"  replied  Arnold,  vehemently.  "It  is 
not  all  I  have  to  say.  You  have  heard  me  only 
plead,  now  hear  me  threaten.  What  will  you 
say  when  I  tell  you  that  your  father's  honor  is 
entirely  in  my  hands?  Let  me  but  raise  my 
voice  and  he  is  besieged  with  creditors.  He  is 
bankrupt  and  the  crisis  is  at  hand."  Grace 
started.  "You  see  I  comprehend  the  situation. 
Many  of  his  debts  are  due.  I  shall  release  him 
from  my  note  and  assist  him  to  meet  his  obliga 
tions.  One  of  his  principal  creditors  owes  me  a 
debt  of  gratitude,  which  he  will  be  glad  to  can 
cel  by  an  extension  of  time  to  your  father. 
Should  he  not  continue  in  business,  though  he 
will  be  able  to  do  so,  I  pledge  myself  to  provide 
for  him  and  your  mother  the  remainder  of  theif 
lives.  I  know  my  price,  which  is  your  own 
lovely,  precious  self,  is  heavy,  but  refuse  and  I 
enforce  instant  payment  and  use  all  my  power 
to  crush  your  father.  Now  you  know  my  in 
tentions  and  what  my  ultimatum  is." 

"How  can  you,"  said  Grace,  with  streaming 
eyes,  "ask  me  so  calmly  and  deliberately  to  break 
my  engagement  with  Mr.  Lavalle?  I  love  him. 
I  have  pledged  myself  to  him,  and  with  me  a  be 
trothal  is  as  sacred  as  the  bonds  of  marriage. 
Love  is  no  chameleon." 

"But,"  returned  he  eagerly,  "should  not  an 
engagement  carry  with  it  mutual  obligations  of 
fidelity  and  devotion?" 

"Most  assuredly.  But  I  have  no  cause  to 
doubt  Mr.  Lavalle's  fidelity  to  me." 


THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT  225 

"Not  so  fast,  not  so  fast,  my  fair  lady.  I  am 
sorry,  but  necessity  compels  me  to  wound  your 
feelings.  I  can  prove  to  you  that  Mr.  Lavalle  is 
attracted  by  another.  The  accumulation  of  let 
ters  of  importance  often  detains  him,  forsooth, 
does  it  not  ?  Ah !  you  turn  pale,  you  tremble. 
You  wonder  how  and  where  I  find  out  these 
things.  Ubiquitous,  eh?  Your  hand  implores 
me  to  be  still,  your  lips  are  motionless,  words 
will  not  come,  the  tongue  is  heavy  and  refuses 
to  do  its  duty.  Well,  as  you  are  weak  and  can 
not  ask  particulars,  I  shall  tell  you,"  said  Arnold, 
mockingly  and  scornfully.  "Lavalle  basks  in 
the  smiles  of  a  siren,  your  rival,  your  cousin,  Le- 
titia  Rheinberg."  He  sat  down  with  an  exult 
ant,  diabolical  smile,  and  calmly  folded  his  hands 
to  observe  the  effect  his  words  produced. 

Grace  was  not  only  pale,  but  livid.  She  wished 
to  rush  from  his  hated  presence,  but  something 
stronger  than  her  will  caused  her  to  remain  and 
say,  with  a  hoarse,  half  inaudible  voice:  "You 
speak  falsely.  You  accuse  him  unjustly.  I 
would  that  I  were  a  man  and  I  would  force 
you  to  retract  instantly." 

"My  charming  pythoness,  you  are  far  more 
lovely  in  tears,  far  more  beautiful  in  passion, 
than  when  unmoved;  therefore,  rage,  but  my 
words  are  nevertheless  true." 

Grace  was  about  to  give  vent  to  her  anger  in 
a  scathing  reply,  but  those  last  words  of  his 
calmed  her  and  she  was  silent.  Her  father's  de 
spair  bound  her  to  the  spot;  the  chains,  though 
invisible,  were  real. 

"Think  not,"  continued  Arnold,  "that  I  have 


226  THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT 

made  this  assertion  without  having  proof.  I 
wish  to  convince  you  with  your  own  eyes  of  the 
damning — I  beg  pardon — evidence.  I  shall  let 
you  know  when  they  meet  again." 

"Thank  you,  I  do  not  wish  to  know.  But  you 
must  have  spies  to  be  able  to  tell  where  and  what 
moment  Mr.  Lavalle  comes  and  goes." 

"The  moment  he  goes  in  and  out  I  may  not 
be  aware  of,  but  of  one  thing  you  can  rest  as 
sured,  that  your  intended  passes  the  greater 
part  of  his  time  with  Miss  Rheinberg.  This  is 
already  a  well-known  fact." 

Aronld  had  resorted  to  the  degrading  busi 
ness  of  spying.  By  bribing  the  servants  of  both 
houses  he  managed  to  gather  a  good  deal  of  in 
formation.  There  were  some  persons  who  be 
gan  to  whisper  that  Lavalle  called  oftener  on  Le- 
titia  than  his  engagement  to  Grace  justified,  but 
that  everybody  knew  this  fact  was  improvised 
by  Arnold  to  suit  his  purpose. 

"I  shall  hear  no  more,"  said  Grace. 

"Will  you  not?  Push  the  button,  order  me 
out,"  replied  Arnold,  defiantly.  "Do  you  wish 
to  know  how  your  cousin  has  drawn  your  lover 
into  her  net  and  inextricably  entangled  him?" 

"Have  mercy  and  tell  me  nothing." 

"Nor  how  she  sings  simple  arias  to  him?  sim 
ple,  perhaps,  but  breathing  an  intense  passion,  to 
which  he  responds.  To  such  a  man  you  must 
be  true,  to  be  sure ;  you  must  not  save  your 
father,"  added  Arnold,  sarcastically. 

"I  shall  not  believe  he  is  false  unless  my  own 
eyes  were  to  give  me  proof,  and  then  I  should 
think  my  brain  had  deceived  my  vision,"  said 


THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT  227 

Grace,  resolutely,  though  her  lover's  neglect  and 
frequent  absences  flashed  over  her  mind  a  con 
firmation  of  the  man's  words. 

"Sooner  or  later  you  will  believe,  for  it  is  the 
truth,"  rejoined  Arnold,  solemnly.  Grace  looked 
at  him  shudderingly.  "Now,"  said  he,  "I  have 
told  you  all,  and  am  anxiously  awaiting  your  de 
cision." 

Grace  raised  her  hands  to  her  head  with  a  ges 
ture  of  despair.  As  she  did  so,  the  rings  on  her 
fingers,  with  their  brilliant  light,  flashed  across 
her  eyes.  At  the  same  moment,  the  thought 
crossed  her  mind  if  she  only  dared  to  sell  her 
valuable  diamonds,  the  proceeds  could  be  applied 
to  cancel  the  debt.  With  this  thought  she  threw 
her  hands  down  and  gave  a  second  glance  at 
the  rings.  An  almost  imperceptible  smile  passed 
over  her  face  as  she  shaded  it  with  her  hands, 
but  the  movement,  swift  as  it  was,  did  not  escape 
the  vigilant  Arnold.  He  simultaneously  resolved 
to  thwart  any  plan  she  might  form. 

She  appeared  sunk  in  a  deep  reverie  when  Ar 
nold  brusquely  said,  "A  thousand  pardons  for 
disturbing  your  meditations,  Miss  Feld,  but  is  it 
To  be  or  not  to  be  ?'  " 

"Give  my  father  an  opportunity  to  appeal  to 
his  friends ;  then  if  we  cannot  succeed,  God's  will 
be  done.  Your  wife  I  shall  never  be.  Give  my 
father  time." 

"No  more  than  the  note  demands  shall  I  give 
him.  The  money  must  be  ready  at  the  appointed 
time,  which  is  to-day." 

"I  entreat  you  to  wait  until  to-morrow  or  the 
next  day.  A  day  or  two  beyond  time  is  nothing, 


228  THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT 

and  though  I  can  never  love  you,  I  shall  respect 
you  as  a  friend." 

Arnold  apparently  hesitated,  though  he  was 
desirous  of  granting  the  request,  for  he  saw  in 
his  "mind's  eye"  results.  "Well,  for  your  dear 
sake,  and  with  the  hope  that  you  may  think  bet 
ter  of  my  proposition,  I  accede  to  your  wish.  I 
shall  call ;  but  until  to-morrow  shall  leave  you 
undisturbed.  I  bid  you  farewell,  my  best  be 
loved,"  and,  bowing  graciously,  he  took  his  leave. 

Grace  wearily  threw  herself  into  a  chair  and  a 
low,  wailing  cry  issued  from  her  lips.  "William, 
William,  is  it  possible  that  you  love  me  no  more? 
That  you,  my  ideal  of  all  that  is  good,  noble  and 
ingenuous,  should  stoop  to  deception?  Can  my 
cousin  be  such  a  serpent?  I  shall  give  back  the 
diamonds.  I  will  have  none  of  them." 

"Grace,"  said  her  parents  simultaneously  on 
coming  in,  "what  of  Arnold.  Tell  all." 

"You  do  not,  cannot,  wish  me  to  tell  all.  My 
heart  is  tortured,  my  brain  is  reeling,"  answered 
Grace,  clasping  her  hands  together. 

"Speak,  child,  has  Lavalle  gone,  left  the 
town?"  inquired  the  excited  father. 

"I  wish  he  had,"  said  Grace,  furiously. 

"For  heaven's  sake,  speak,  Grace.  You  never 
acted  like  this  before,"  added  Mrs.  Feld. 

"I  never  had  occasion  to  do  so.  Agony  that 
I  should  have  to  speak  it.  Arnold  says  Lavalle 
loves  me  no  longer,  loves  another!" 

"To  be  sure  he  would  say  that,"  returned  her 
mother.  "Why,  how  foolish !  jealous  for  noth- 
ing!" 

"The  doubts  of  my  heart  will  not  be  so  easily 


THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT  229 

dispelled.  I  remember  his  late  evening*;,  his 
confusion,  slips  of  speech,  cold  neglect,  all  tend 
to  criminate  him,"  said  Grace,  weeping  bitterly. 

"These  are  mere  accidents  and  far  from  con 
clusive,"  replied  her  father,  soothingly. 

"Father,  you  remarked  his  absence  the  other 
evening.  Unhappy  me !  miserable  me !  The 
woman  who  has  taken  him  from  me  is 

"Not  Rebecca  Silverbaum?"  said  her  mother. 

"Mother,  you  ought  to  know  that  William 
could  never  be  magnetized  by  such  a  woman.  It 
is  Letitia,  my  cousin." 

"My  brother's  child!"  screamed  Mrs.  Feld, 
overcome  with  emotion.  "I  always  knew  she 
was  a  deceitful  creature,  but  to  do  such  a  thing 
is  terrible." 

"I  can  scarcely  believe  it.  Possibilities  are  not 
facts,  Grace,"  said  Mr.  Feld,  wishing  to  relieve 
her  misgivings.  Here  was  an  unlocked  for,  a 
heart-rending  sorrow.  "I,  your  father,"  con 
tinued  he,  raising  his  hands  appealingly  to 
heaven,  "am  to  blame  for  this.  What  shall  I 
do?" 

"Father,  you  did  not  turn  William  from  me." 

"But  my  condition  now,  child.  If  Arnold  were 
only  satisfied  all  might  go  well." 

"Can  such  a  nature  be  appeased  ?"  asked  Grace. 

Mr.  Feld  requested  his  wife  to  appeal  to  her 
brother  for  assistance,  and  told  Grace  she  must 
endeavor  to  win  back  Lavalle.  No  answer  came 
from  her  pallid  lips,  as  she  was  almost  paralyzed 
with  grief. 

Mrs.  Feld  lost  no  time  in  seeking  her  brother. 
She  told  him  all  about  her  husand's  pecuniary 


230  THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT 

difficulties,  but  not  a  word  of  Arnold's  passion 
for  Grace. 

"Ruth,"  said  Mr.  Rheinberg,  "help  I  cannot 
give  you.  Even  the  few  hundred  I  have  loaned 
Henry,  I  am  sorry  to  say,  I  feel  the  want  of.  I 
might  as  well  try  to  drain  the  Mississippi  as  to 
help  him.  As  he  has  sown  so  he  must  reap.  But 
a  good  advice  I  will  give  you;  don't  be  foolish 
and  drag  in  Lavalle.  The  man  might  become 
disgusted  with  Henry's  actions  and  leave  town. 
The  gaming  table  has  ruined  Henry.  Bah!  his 
excesses  could  exhaust  a  mine.  Let  the  worst 
come ;  the  storm,  like  everything  else,  will  blow 
over." 

"It  won't  blow  over,  or,  at  least,  it  will  blow 
Henry  with  it.  He  cannot  stand  it;  he  is  reck 
less  from  shame  and  trouble." 

"You  must  do  your  duty  like  a  good  wife; 
be  kinder,  more  loving,  more  patient  towards  him 
than  ever.  God  knows  how  willingly  I  would 
help  you  if  I  could,  but  I  have  all  I  can  do  to 
stand  firm  myself.  Keep  everything  from  La 
valle  and  hurry  up  the  wedding,"  were  Mr. 
Rheinberg's  parting  words. 

"Well,  what  says  your  brother?"  asked  Mr. 
Feld,  eagerly,  as  his  wife  returned  home. 

"As  you  well  know,  he  cannot  help  you.  He 
advises  by  no  means  to  mention  our  trouble  to 
Lavalle,  but  to  hurry  up  the  wedding." 

"I  think  he  is  right.  Grace,  you  must,  as  I 
told  you  before,  try  to  keep  him  from  that  black- 
haired  woman,  whose  song  is  death  and  whose 
eyes  follow  a  man  forever." 

Grace  shuddered  at  her  father's  acknowldg- 


THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT  231 

ment  of  her  rival's  fascinating  orbs,  that  like 
a  glamour  led  only  to  Orcus. 

"If  I  just  had  Arnold  off  my  track  I  might 
manage  to  shift,  make  liberal  terms  with  my 
creditors,  sell  my  property,  continue  my  business 
and  finally  pull  through.  Let  us  pledge  the  dia 
monds,"  said  Mr.  Feld.  He  was  so  overcome, 
so  enervated  by  his  trouble,  that  the  resolve  of 
one  moment  was  displaced  by  a  new  one  the 
next. 

Grace  cowered  in  her  chair. 

"No,"  answered  Mrs.  Feld,  "Lavalle  would 
miss  them." 

"Grace  can " 

"No,  no,"  said  Mrs.  Feld,  stamping  her  foot 
impatiently,  "we  have  talked  that  over  before. 
I  will  not  consent  to  anything  of  the  kind." 

"You  put  the  thought  in  my  mind,  woman,  and 
woke  up  the  sleeping  evil  in  my  heart." 

"I  said  I  wished  my  own  could  save  you  from 
ruin." 

"A  daughter  should  listen  to  the  pleadings  of 
a  poor  father  who  has  done  everything  for  her," 
said  Mr.  Feld  in  a  half  fierce,  half  whining  voice. 
He  had  been  fortifying  himself  with  liquor  while 
his  wife  was  at  her  brother's  and  was  gradually 
yielding  to  its  influence. 

"Dear  father,  I  shall  throw  myself  at  the  feet 
of  William  and  trust  to  his  generosity,"  replied 
Grace,  who  was  now  wavering  in  her  purpose. 

"I  forbid  you,"  continued  her  father,  sternly, 
"to  tell  him  how  I  stand." 

Mrs.  Feld  sighed.  Ffad  not  their  misfortunes 
been  her  husband's  work?  Where  had  every- 


232  THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT 

thing  gone  to?  Swallowed  up  in  one  unfathom 
able  gulf;  and  here  they  were  with  all  their 
prospects  irretrievably  ruined. 

"Lavalle,  I  know,"  resumed  Mr.  Feld,  "will 
not  marry  the  daughter  of  a  broken  down  man. 
Look  out,  Grace,  for  that  girl;  she  will  chain 
him  if  you  don't.  Pledge  the  diamonds,  my 
sweet;  in  a  few  weeks  I  may  be  able  to  redeem 
them.  He  will  be  none  the  wiser  and  things  will 
run  smoothly." 

"But,  father,"  pleaded  Grace,  "they  are  not 
mine  to  pledge.  Our  marriage  must  first  be  sol 
emnized  before  I  can  honorably  and  legally  say 
they  are  mine  to  dispose  of." 

"Well,  you  will  marry  him,"  said  Mr.  Feld. 
"You  are  ready;  we  are  all  ready." 

"But  if  anything  should  intervene  to  prevent 
the  marriage,  I  am  in  duty  and  honor  bound  to 
restore  the  jewels.  If  they  pass  out  of  my  hands, 
what  restitution  can  I  make?" 

"They  are  yours,  child;  Lavalle  gave  them  to 
you." 

"They  are  only  a  conditional  gift.  My  sense 
of  justice  and  propriety  would  be  shocked  by 
parting  with  them  under  the  present  circum 
stances,"  added  Grace,  warmly. 

"Well,  if  you  will  not  give  them  up,  what  re 
mains  for  your  worthless  old  father  but  a  little 
strychnine;  that  or  the  pistol  will  end  all  his 
trouble,"  and  his  voice,  at  first  insinuating,  was 
now  indifferent  and  cold.  The  effects  of  the  al 
cohol,  under  his  great  mental  excitement,  were 
passing  away. 

"Never,"   answered   Grace,   quickly,   while    a 


THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT  233 

deathly  pallor  overspread  her  face,  "will  I  be  so 
heartless  as  to  be  the  murderer  of  my  father. 
Take  the  jewels;  do  what  you  like  with  them. 
I  shall  sacrifice  conscience  at  the  shrine  of  filial 
affection  and  obedience." 

"No,  child,  you  must  do  more.  You  must 
take  them  in  the  dead  of  night,  when  the  town's 
heart  has  ceased  to  beat,  and  get  money;  yes, 
money  on  them  to  pay  this  debt  of  honor.  I  will 
have  to  try  and  get  the  cashier  of  the  new  bank 
to  give  you  a  private  interview.  I  think  he  will 
do  me  this  favor.  Then  you  can  go  and  save 
your  father.  Your  mother,  my  wife,"  said  Mr. 
Feld,  in  a  commanding  tone,  "will  go  with  you. 
In  the  meantime  I  must  hurry  and  make  arrange 
ments  so  that  the  cashier  will  be  in  his  office  and 
let  you  in  when  you  call.  I  am  off." 

The  desolate  and  broken-hearted  wife  had  no 
more  to  say.  Her  husband  had  threatened  self- 
destruction.  She  did  not  believe  he  would  com 
mit  so  fearful  a  crime,  but  despair  had  driven 
many  a  better  and  stronger  man  to  such  sacri 
lege.  Mr.  Feld's  brain  was  weakened  and  half- 
crazed  with  drink,  and  who  could  tell  what  he 
would  not  do  in  a  moment  of  black  temptation? 

"Grace,  dear  child,  have  courage.  Something 
may  happen  to  prevent  you  from  giving  up  the 
jewels.  God  may  show  you  a  way  to  escape  at 
the  last  moment,"  said  Mrs.  Feld,  with  a  dim 
hope  that  deliverance  would  come. 

"Mother,  don't  talk.  I  have  lost  hope,  though 
at  times  a  voice  whispers  that  William  may  never 
know,  that  blind  fortune  may  throw  at  the  right 


234  THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT 

time  luck  in  my  father's  way.  I  shall  be  like 
Micawber." 

"Who  is  that,  my  child?" 

"A  character  in  Dickens'  'David  Copperfield/ 
who  is  always  waiting  for  'something  to  turn 
up/  and  whose  troubles  are  without  end." 

"You  make  me  nervous  to  compare  yourself 
with  such  a  person.  You  must  not  do  it." 

"Nonsense,  mother;  I  shall  leave  you  a  while." 

Grace  sat  weeping  in  her  room  when  her 
friend,  Mary  Moss,  entered.  "Why  in  tears? 
Have  the  bright  flowers  already  faded,  the  jew 
els  lost  their  lustre?  Dear  Grace,  lay  up  treas 
ures  for  the  Kingdom  of  Heaven,  where  the  gold 
never  rusts.  Come,  confide  in  me,  you  dear  little 
lamb."  There  are  times  when  the  consolations 
and  kind  intentions  of  friends  fall  like  mockery 
on  the  ear.  This  hour  had  come  to  Grace.  No 
human  being  could  mitigate  her  grief  in  this  trial 
of  supreme  wretchedness  and  humiliation,  save 
one,  and  that  was  Lavalle,  and  he  was  not  there. 

"You  do  not  answer,  Grace.  I  should  have 
been  here  oftener  and  sooner  to-day  did  I  not 
think  Mr.  Lavalle  was  here,  and,  of  course,  I  did 
not  wish  to  intrude  on  your  felicity.  In  your 
happy  hours  I  leave  you  alone  to  enjoy  them,  but 
when  in  trouble  I  desire  to  be  the  first  one  at 
your  side,"  and  Mary  embraced  her  tenderly, 
while  her  face  lighted  up  with  all  the  verve 
which  religion  gives. 

Grace,  making  no  reply,  Mary  resumed : 
"Grieve  not  over  false  rumors ;  your  lover  is 
true.  Do  not  be  afraid  about  his  constancy." 


THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT  235 

She  had  heard  some  floating  reports,  and  was 
not  very  delicate  in  her  allusions  to  them. 

"Don't  question  me.  I  am  miserable  to-day," 
said  Grace,  piteously,  as  her  face  assumed  an 
ashen  gray  color. 

"In  the  storms  of  life  we  must  bravely  buffet 
the  waves.  There  is  one  who  says,  'Come  unto 
me  all  ye  who  are  weary  and  heavy  laden.'  " 

"I  am  indeed  heavily  laden." 

"Do  you  know  whom  I've  seen  to-day?  Sister 
Louise.  She  is  the  embodiment  of  peace,  con 
tentment  and  happiness.  She  inquired  kindly 
and  lovingly  for  you.  For  some  time  the  world, 
with  its  splendor,  gayety  and  wealth,  has  veiled 
from  you  her  fervent  love  and  the  charms  of  her 
sylvan  retreat." 

"I  have  not  forgotten  Sister  Louise,  Mary." 

"The  world  is  like  the  phantom  island  with  its 
thousand  spires.  We  long  to  be  its  adelantado, 
and  we  set  our  eager  sails  to  reach  it,  but  in 
vain ;  it  flees  before  us  and  our  pursuit  ends  only 
in  despair.  But  from  the  fury  of  the  elements 
there  is  one  haven  plain  and  secure  that  invites 
all  to  enter.  This  commodious  retreat  for  the 
poor  voyager  wrecked  on  the  stormy  sea  of  life 
is  the  Church." 

"I  am  not  wrecked,"  responded  Grace,  defi 
antly,  "and  I  am  satisfied  with  the  religion  I 
have." 

"God  forbid  that  you  should  be  wrecked.  I 
am  speaking  only  metaphorically.  But  when 
anything  occurs  to  me,  I  turn  to  my  religion. 
It  offers  me  consolation  and  a  home,  and  is 
therefore  a  blessed  possession." 


236  THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT 

"Mary,  you  are  a  worthy  disciple  of  the  Car 
dinal  of  Ximenes  de  Cisneros,"  said  Grace,  smil 
ing  sadly. 

"He  strove  only  to  regain  the  Holy  Sepulchre, 
but  I  dream  of  planting  the  seeds  of  religion 
everywhere,  trusting  to  God  for  their  germina 
tion." 

"Mary,  light  develops  truth  and  truth  is  eter 
nal.  Necessity  forces  the  adoption  of  a  belief, 
but  the  essential  required  to  mature  truth  is 
progress." 

"Why,  Grace,"  said  Mary,  jestingly,  "I  don't 
know  where  you  found  the  time  to  think  so 
much." 


THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURREN±  237 


CHAPTER  XXL 

Night  came  slowly  on  with  leaden  wings  and 
the  heaven  was  wrapped  in  clouds;  no  fleecy 
cirri  which  zephyrs  could  blow  away,  but  heavy, 
black  masses  from  which  issued  the  forked  light 
ning  and  the  thunder  in  deep,  sullen  roars.  The 
wind  blew  in  gusts  and  ever  and  anon  large 
drops  of  rain  fell.  Though  the  elements  were 
thus  raging,  two  men,  enveloped  in  thick  over 
coats,  emerged  from  the  comfortable  hotel.  As 
the  rain  splashed  in  their  faces,  one,  who  was  of 
light  build,  fair  complexion  and  sandy*  hair,  mut 
tered  :  "What  a  night  to  be  out  in !  I  am  almost 
sorry  that  I  made  the  appointment,  Arnold." 

"It  appears  to  me  fit  only  for  deeds  of  dark 
ness  and  not  for  honest,  legitimate  transactions 
like  ours,  eh?" 

Arnold's  companion  returned  no  answer  save 
by  an  oath  or  two,  until  they  reached  a  red  brick 
building,  when  he  fumbled  in  his  pocket  for  a 
bunch  of  keys,  and  after  opening  several  locks 
they  found  themselves  in  the  Bank. 

"Follow  me.  Here  we  are  in  the  office.  Wait 
a  moment  until  I  touch  the  button.  There,  the 
light  is  lighted,  the  blind  is  down,  and  no  one, 
I  think,  knows  we  are  here.  Now  sit  down,  Ar 
nold,  and  tell  me  at  once  the  necessity  that  draws 
you  out  of  your  comfortable  room  to-night." 


238  THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT 

"It  is  a  paying  business,  man." 

"For  you  maybe,  but  is  it  for  me  ?  You  know, 
besides  being  cashier,  I  am  deeply  interested  in 
the  concern.  Every  dollar  I  have  in  the  world 
is  invested  in  it.  Business  is  dull  and  it  is  con 
foundedly  stupid  here." 

"Austin  White,  we  have  known  each  other  for 
some  time,  long  before  we  thought  we  should 
ever  put  foot  in  this  place.  Now  you  can  accom 
modate  me  and  at  the  same  time  make  a  hand 
some  sum  for  yourself." 

"Well,  out  with  it,  man.  You  know  I  am  your 
willing  instrument,  provided  that  you  require 
nothing  that  would  bring  me  into  the  clutches  of 
the  law." 

"Bah!  I  want  no  life  taken." 

"Not  alone  no  murder,  but  I  will  do  nothing 
that  will  dishonor  me,  I'll  be  hanged  if  I  do." 

"Since  when  have  you  become  so  scrupulous?" 
said  Arnold,  quickly  and  derisively.  "Be  wise, 
I  tell  you,  and  take  advantage  of  this  golden  op 
portunity." 

"See  here,  Arnold,  don't  trouble  yourself 
about  the  whiteness  of  my  soul.  Look  to  your 
own.  Quick  and  say  what  you  want  done,  in 
which  there  is  so  much  profit." 

"Well,  as  1  told  you  before,  I  heard  that  you 
made  an  appointment  to  transact  some  business 
with  two  ladies  this  evening  (had  I  not  been  so 
fortunate  I  should  not  have  solicited  this  inter 
view),  and  they  will  probably  offer  to  hypothe 
cate  some  valuable  jewels,  worth  over  thirty 
thousand  dollars.  If  they  bring  all  they  have 


THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT  239 

by  no  means  allow  them  more  than  ten  thou 
sand." 

"Hold,  Arnold,  this  is  not  Rothschild's  bank. 
Where  are  the  ten  thousand  dollars  to  come 
from?"  demanded  White. 

"All  you  have  to  do  is  to  give  them  a  check  on 
this  bank,  which  I  answer  to  you  will  come — 
never  mind  how — into  my  possession  to-morrow, 
and  which  I  shall  tear  up  in  your  presence;  but 
you  must  give  me  the  diamonds,  etc.,  this  very 
night.  You  see,  no  one  connected  with  the  bank 
will  know  about  this  side  transaction  of  yours, 
and  your  reward  shall  be  five  thousand  dollars." 

"But  in  heaven's  name  what  shall  I  do  if  at  the 
expiration  of  a  specified  time  they  should  wish  to 
redeem  the  jewels?" 

"Never  fear;  they  cannot  and  will  not  be  able 
to  do  so.  I  know  all  about  them,  and  tell  you 
positively  that  they  cannot,  and  I  repeat  it  em 
phatically  so  that  you  may  not  doubt.  Your  only 
risk  lies  in  one  probability,  I  say,  that  does  not 
exist,  but  if  you  persist  in  thinking  otherwise,  I 
shall  take  an  oath  that  I  shall  remain  in  town 
until  the  danger  is  over,  and,  of  course,  return 
you  the  diamonds  if  they  are  demanded.  What 
say  you  to  my  proposition?" 

"I  say  again  I'll  be  hanged,  old  fellow,  if  I'll 
have  the  sword  of  Damocles  hanging  over  me 
for  months." 

"Why  do  you  insist  upon  saying  there  is  dan 
ger  when  I  say  there's  none.  Say,  White,  do 
you  remember  when  in  Memphis  you  swindled 
old  Sam  Wells  out  of  five  hundred  dollars,  which 
he  owed  you  on  his  note?  Pretty  rough,  wasn't 


240  THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT 

it,  to  force  a  man  to  pay  his  note  again  and  the 
very  next  day,  only  because  he  happened  to  drop 
it  and  you  to  pick  it  up?  How  if  this  community 
heard  of  your  chivalrous  deed?  The  tincture  of 
the  shield  they  would  award  you  would  scarcely 
tally  with  your  name,  and,  whatever  the  mot,  it 
would  hardly  be  'sine  macula.'  " 

Austin  White  turned  pale  during  this  implied 
threat  and  banter,  and  his  voice  slightly  quav 
ered  as  he  said,  "Come,  come,  my  friend,  I,  too, 
shall  have  to  jog  your  memory  as  to  your  gam 
bling  operations." 

"And  I  know  a  man,"  resumed  Arnold,  with 
out  appearing  to  notice  his  companion's  counter- 
thrust,  "who  was  connected  with  the  'Great 
Southern  Collateral  Bank'  of  New  Orleans,  and 
who,  after  sundry  speculations  there,  thought  fit 
to  leave  the  hospitable  Crescent  City  and  come 
here.  I  don't  suppose  the  officers  of  the  law  will 
follow  you  here,  but  if  some  babbler  would  drop 
a  few  words  about  his  necessary  hegira,  I  don't 
believe  it  would  improve  his  credit,  do  you?" 

"For  God's  sake,  man,  be  quiet.  I  accept  your 
terms.  You  are  here,  there,  everywhere,"  said 
White,  livid  with  rage. 

"  'Tis  well  we  understand  each  other.  You 
are  young,  talented  and  prepossessing;  who  can 
tell  with  your  five  thousand  what  good  fortune 
may  not  be  in  prospective  for  you?  Only  be 
mum  to  what  you  hear  and  see  concerning  me, 
and  I  won't  mind  adding  a  gem  or  two  to  the 
money.  You  know  that  I  am  a  liberal  fellow." 

"Yes,  yes ;  but  you  have  at  times  such  venom 
that  I  feel  as  though  I  wanted  neither  your 


THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT  241 

honey  nor  your  sting,"  and  White  forced  out  a 
low  laugh. 

"This  will  bind  us  to  each  other.  But  come 
now,  you  must  conceal  me  somewhere.  Ha,  I 
shall  go  behind  the  statue  of  Minerva.  I  suppose 
some  lover  of  art  has  been  forced  to  leave  this 
here  ?" 

"No,  this  is  no  pawnshop,"  replied  White, 
dryly;  "it  was  a  gift  to  the  firm." 

"Well,  no  matter,"  said  Arnold  in  a  sarcastic 
tone,  "it  will  secrete  me  here  as  well.  Here,  let 
me  throw  my  overcoat  over  it.  Give  me  yours, 
too.  Now,"  and  he  carefully  arranged  the  coats 
to  suit  him,  "that  will  do,  and  I  am  ready  to  see 
and  hear  all  that  transpires." 

"I  hope  you  won't  imitate  that  goddess  and 
spring  threateningly  upon  me  before  I  get 
through  with  my  customers,"  said  White,  in  an 
inaudible  voice. 

"Do  you  know,"  remarked  Arnold,  "the  light 
ning  is  accommodating,  illumining  the  way." 

"Yes,  for  a  moment,  making  darkness  deeper 
the  next.  The  rain  is  coming  down  in  torrents. 
I  am  afraid  they  will  not  come." 

"I  will  answer  for  that.  It  yet  lacks  two  mo 
ments  of  the  appointed  time,"  said  Arnold,  look 
ing  at  his  watch. 

"Hist,"  returned  White,  "I  hear  one,  two, 
three  knocks,  the  signal  agreed  upon." 

Arnold  jumped  behind  the  statue  and  White 
quickly  opened  the  door  and  admitted  two 
women.  They  were  enveloped  in  woolen  wraps, 
but  they  shivered,  nevertheless,  as  the  rain, 


242  THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT 

though  warm,  was  heavy,  and  had  soaked 
through  the  material. 

"Follow  me  into  the  office,  ladies,  and  sit 
down,"  said  White,  placing  two  chairs  with 
their  backs  to  the  statue. 

"Ah!"  muttered  Arnold,  between  his  teeth, 
"here  they  are.  I  am  real  magnanimous  to  take 
the  girl,  as  I  can  have  the  money,  or,  rather,  the 
diamonds  without  her,  but  then  I  have  such  a 
penchant  for  that  pretty  creature,  with  her  flossy 
golden  hair,  and  eyes  like  forget-me-nots,  that 
1  lose  sight  of  everything.  By  Jove,  a  man 
should  make  some  sacrifice  for  such  a  piece  of 
feminine  loveliness." 

The  women  threw  back  their  hoods,  but  no 
faces  were  visible,  as  they  wore  heavy  veils  to 
escape  recognition.  The  quick,  nervous  motions 
of  one  caused  her  wrap  to  fall  aside  and  show 
a  wrist  of  delicate  mold  and  snowy  whiteness. 

"Curse  that  wrap!"  uttered  Arnold,  in  an  in 
audible  tone,  as  he  peeped  out  from  the  side  of 
the  statue.  "Must  White  see  that  beautiful 
wrist?  She  will  betray  herself  yet  with  her  timid 
ways.  Heavens,  how  she  is  shaking.  I  wish  I 
were  there  to  steady  her.  Girl,  I  wish  I  were  as 
sure  of  you  as  of  the  diamonds." 

The  elder  lady,  in  a  rapid  manner  and  a  trem 
bling  voice,  said  she  wished  to  hypothecate  some 
elegant  jewels,  and  at  the  same  time  taking  from 
beneath  her  wrap  some  five  or  six  velvet  cases 
and  opening  them.  White,  who  had  been  hith 
erto  endeavoring  to  discover  who  his  applicants 
were,  now  uttered  an  indiscreet  exclamation  of 


THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT  243 

delight  on  beholding  the  beauty  of  the  jewels, 
but  checked  it  instantly. 

"These  are  very  valuable  and  nothing  but 
great  necessity  could  make  us  part  with  them, 
even  for  a  little  while.  They  will  be  redeemed 
at  furthest  in  two  months.  How  much  can  you 
advance  us  on  them?" 

The  younger  woman  listened  with  bovred  head, 
while  her  frame  shook  as  if  she  were  in  a  con 
vulsion.  Was  the  magic  mirror  showing  her  that 
parting  with  the  jewels  was  a  death-knell  to  her 
hopes  of  happiness? 

"Madam,  I'll  offer  you  at  once  a  very  high  fig 
ure  for  them,  five  thousand  dollars,"  and  while 
White  spoke,  he  gazed  upon  the  jewels  with  ra 
pacious  avidity. 

"No,  never,"  said  the  younger  woman;  "it 
would  be  a  useless  sacrifice,"  and  she  drew  up  her 
head  proudly.  If  the  cashier  had  only  persisted 
in  his  offer  how  that  aching  heart  would  have 
been  relieved !  She  had  come  to  the  altar, 
brought  her  offering  with  a  bleeding  heart,  and 
if  it  were  not  accepted  would  have  deemed  her 
duty  done.  As  the  last  box  was  closed,  joy 
leapt  through  her  heart,  but  vanished  as  White 
pronounced  the  knell  to  her  hopes,  "Stop,  it  shall 
be  ten  thousand." 

"If  only  that  lovely  head  were  on  my  arm," 
mumbled  Arnold,  as  Grace's  head  dropped  low 
down  on  her  bosom. 

The  elder  lady  reopened  the  casket  with  alac 
rity.  "Do  not  be  in  such  a  hurry;  the  money  is 
not  manna,"  said  the  young  woman. 

"Very   nearly,"   replied  the    other.     To    her 


244  THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT 

prayer  for  twenty  thousand,  White  answered 
with  a  laugh  of  contempt;  for  fifteen  thousand 
with  a  firm  but  respectful  refusal.  "Rothschild 
has  no  bank  here,  madam.  Ten  thousand  is  an 
immense  amount  of  money  and  the  full  worth  of 
the  precious  stones.  That  amount  can  relieve 
your  pressing  wants.  You  shall  have  a  check 
on  this  bank,  which  is  as  good  as  any  in  the 
Union,"  said  he,  glibly. 

"I  will  never  part  with  them,  mother,"    said 
Grace,    for   the    first   time    revealing   their   rela 
tionship,  "unless  to  clear  off  entirely  that  mon 
ster's  debt."    The  voice  was  low,  but  to  make  it 
more  emphatic,  she  stamped  her  foot  decidedly. 
"But,  my  dear  child,  it  may  satisfy  him." 
"The  vampire  will  not  be  satisfied,  he  will  want 
more  blood." 

"We  must  bring  home  money,  child." 
During  this  colloquy  the  eye  of  White  rested 
on  them  like  the  basilisk,  waiting  to  grasp  his 
prey.  In  vain  they  entreated,  implored,  him  to 
advance  a  few  thousand  more.  The  mother  was 
anxious  to  take  the  money,  and,  by  repeated  urg 
ing,  the  daughter  was  induced  to  give  a  reluctant 
consent. 

Thus  did  Mrs.  Feld  and  her  daughter  hypothe 
cate  the  jewelry,  consisting  of  diamonds  of  the 
first  water,  pearls  large  and  clear  as  snow-drops, 
rubies  of  a  deep  red  hue,  indicating  their  Orien 
tal  origin,  and  a  variety  of  sapphires,  some  blue, 
some  purple,  the  latter  called  Oriental  amethysts. 
All  were  pledged,  even  the  fine  blue  sapphires 
that  came  from  Ceylon.  This  last  was  consid- 


THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT  245 

ered  a  sacred  stone  by  the  Ancients  and  was 
worn  by  the  Jewish  high-priest. 

For  all  these  Grace  and  her  mother  received 
a  check  for  ten  thousand  dollars  on  the  bank 
and  a  receipt  for  the  jewels.  With  these  little 
pieces  of  paper  in  their  possession  the  door  closed 
on  them.  They  passed  out  into  the  pitiless,  pelt 
ing  rain,  without  even  a  star  to  throw  a  friendly 
ray  and  guide  them  on  their  homeward  course. 

When  they  had  gone  Arnold  emerged  from 
his  hiding  place  and,  with  a  sneering,  mocking 
laugh,  cried  out,  "Bravo,  fine  ladies;  to-morrow 
I  shall  have  the  check  and  the  diamonds." 

"We  have  transacted  our  business,  let  us  go," 
said  White,  abruptly. 

"Not  so  fast,  White.  You  need  not  know  the 
direction  the  women  take.  Tell  me,  I  forgot  to 
ascertain,  who  asked  you  to  make  the  appoint 
ment  ?" 

"Well,  you  see,  I  saw  Feld  pass,  and  as  he  did 
so,  he  looked  at  me  as  if  he  wished  to  say  some 
thing.  He  came  back,  spoke  to  me  a  few  mo 
ments,  but  concluded  seemingly  not  to  tell  his 
business.  He  passed  down  the  street  and  then 
back  to  the  office  of  Everard.  I  thought  some 
thing  must  be  up.  In  about  an  hour  afterwards 
he  came  and  requested  the  interview.  But  look 
you,  Arnold,  I  should  know  who  the  girl  is  with 
out  that.  This  is  a  small  place,  where  the  affairs 
of  all  are  known.  This  is  the  only  woman  or, 
rather,  girl  in  this  town  who  possesses  such  or 
naments,  and  she  is  the  intended  bride  of  that 
fastidous  New  Yorker." 

"You  are  very  shrewd,  White,  but  I  advise 


246  THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT 

you  not  to  allow  your  wisdom  to  travel.  Lavaile 
did  not  treat  you  with  much  consideration  when 
he  met  you  last  week,  did  he  ?  You  need  not  an 
swer.  Cashiers  like  you  and  lecturers  like  me  are 
not  high-toned  enough  for  his  highness.  How  I 
hate  him!  I  believe  he  is  well  acquainted  in 
New  Orleans." 

"Well,  what  if  he  is.  The  minions  of  the  law 
cannot  arrest  me,  and  as  to  Lavaile  snubbing  me, 
it  was  because  I  was  with  you." 

"By  heaven,  man,  it  is  dangerous  for  you  to 
repeat  that.  But  keep  your  counsel,  act  faith 
fully  to  me,  and  here  is  your  check  for  five  thou 
sand  dollars.  It  is  on  the  Bank  of  Missouri,  a 
little  better  than  your  rotten  concern.  Deal  with 
me  treacherously,  and  I  will  be  on  your  track 
like  a  Danite.  Beware,  I  say,  of  Bernard  Ar 
nold." 

White  trembled  violently.  He  left  behind  him 
in  New  Orleans  a  bad  record,  and  would  fain 
become  virtuous  and  good,  but  felt  compelled  to 
do  this  iniquitous  action  lest  his  former  career  be 
made  known.  Evil  is  a  garment  which  we  can 
not  put  on  and  off  at  discretion.  Once  in  its 
folds,  it  clings  to  us  like  the  poisoned  tunic  of 
Nessus. 

"Come,  hand  over  the  diamonds,"  said  Arnold. 
"Now  you  walk  ahead.  I  shall  put  out  the  light 
and  follow  you,"  and  so  the  pair,  bound  together 
by  wickedness,  went  out,  still  with  distrust  and 
hatred  lurking  in  their  hearts. 


THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT  247 


CHAPTER  XXII. 

Night  had  passed  and  gathered  the  roses  from 
the  cheeks  of  Grace,  taken  the  smile  from  her 
lips,  and  dimmed  the  brilliancy  of  her  eyes.  She 
wished  the  day  was  over,  but  did  not  dare  go 
near  the  library  to  hear  what  was  occurring 
there. 

"Well,  Mr.  Arnold,"  said  Feld,  on  meeting 
that  gentleman  in  his  house,  "here  is  a  check 
for  ten  thousand  dollars.  The  balance  I'll  pay 
as  soon  as  I  can,  in  a  few  days  I  hope.  This 
money  has  been  dearly  procured."  Alas !  it  had 
come  at  the  price  of  a  daughter's  happiness.  The 
sacrifice  was  worse  than  Iphigenia's ;  for  Grace 
was  immolated  without  one  hand  being  raised  to 
save  her. 

"Indeed,  I  want  to  leave  this  confounded,  stu 
pid  place,  and  I  must  have  all  or  the  girl.  Never 
forget  the  conditions  on  which  I  release  you," 
replied  Arnold,  at  the  same  time  pocketing  the 
draft. 

"Begone  and  wait.  You  want  to  rob  me  of 
life.  No,  never,"  and  Mr.  Feld's  fist  came  down 
on  the  table  near  which  he  was  standing  with  a 
heavy  thud,  and  he  closed  the  sentence  with  an 
expression  more  emphatic  than  polite. 

Arnold  rose  from  his  chair,  pulled  his  mous 
tache,  twirled  his  cane  nervously,  raised  his  arm 


'2$  THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT 

threateningly,  and  said:  "Beware  how  you  raise 
the  demon  within  me.  When  on  the  path  of 
vengeance  I  am  as  ruthless  as  the  Duke  of  Alva 
when  pursuing  heretics  in  Holland — to  torture, 
gives  me  exquisite  delight." 

"Don't  talk  to  me  of  what  you  will  do." 

"But  that  girl,  Mr.  Feld,  with  her  fair  face 
and  fair  hair  should  be  pleased  to  have  another 
lover  at  her  side,  as  the  other  one,  you  know, 
has  cast  her  off." 

"Have  a  care,  Mr.  Arnold,"  and  Feld's  brow 
grew  dark,  his  eyes  shot  forth  lurid  gleams,  his 
form  shook  with  the  vehemence  of  his  emotions. 
"I  am  a  father." 

"Pshaw !  man,  remember  I  will  assist  to  re 
lease  you  from  the  pressure  of  debt,  which  will 
crush  you  like  an  avalanche.  But,  I  do  so  want 
your  charming  daughter?"  and  Arnold's  voice, 
which  was  at  first  loud  and  insinuating,  now  as 
sumed  a  low,  tender,  pathetic  and  even  pleading 
tone. 

"My  eyes  run  ovei,"  said  Feld,  weeping.  "I 
am  down,  down.  What  will  become  of  my  little 
Grace?" 

"Beautiful  Grace,  you  should  say.  Pure  and 
graceful  as  a  lily,  sweet  as  a  tuberose  is  she," 
added  Arnold. 

"My  stay  on  earth  is  Grace;  through  her  I 
hope  for  heaven." 

"Give  her  to  me.  We  shall  all  abide  together," 
and  Arnold,  seating  himself,  commenced  to  beat 
a  tattoo  with  his  foot  and  crush  the  petals  of  a 
delicate  jasmine  which  he  had  unconsciously 
taken  from  a  terra  cotta  vase  close  to  him, 


THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT  249 

"Give  her  to  you,  man?" 

"Yes,  to  me.  I  have  drifted  into  the  foaming, 
intoxicating  sea  of  love;  be  careful  that  it  is  not 
transformed  into  a  seething  cauldron  of  hate. 
Give  the  girl  to  me  and  you  will  never  have  cause 
to  regret  it.  I  shall  work  for  you  as  well  as  for 
her,"  and  Arnold's  eyes  kindled  with  a  passion 
ate  light.  "I  shall  cherish,  protect  and,  if  need 
be,  die  for  her.  I  swear  to  you  by  the  sacred 
name  of  my  mother  to  be  a  true,  devoted  and 
loving  husband.  Every  purpose  and  every 
thought  of  my  life  shall  be  employed  in  making 
myself  worthy  of  her." 

"A  gambler's  word,"  said  Mr.  Feld,  laughing 
loudly  and  derisively. 

"I  pledge  myself  to  renounce  gambling,  if  she 
will  ask  it  with  her  own  pure  lips,"  answered  Ar 
nold,  but  observing  Feld's  lips  curl  with  scorn, 
he  resumed.  "The  girl  I  must  have  or  the 
money,"  and  the  angry  blood  surged  over  his 
dark  face  and  a  dangerous  light  leapt  into  his 
eyes. 

"And  if  not?" 

"Man,"  cried  Arnold,  "trifle  not  with  me,  you 
know  the  alternative." 

"Well,  well,  friend,  let  the  check  answer  for 
the  present,"  said  Feld,  whose  only  object  was 
to  gain  time  and  endeavor  to  have  Grace's  mar 
riage  with  Lavalle  consummated.  "Give  me  a 
couple  of  weeks'  time  to  persuade  my  child,  and 
then  if  not,  let  ruin  come.  I  can  only  be  swept 
away,  that  is  all,"  and  he  buttoned  his  coat  and 
folded  his  arms,  as  if  he  were  ready  to  meet  his 
fate  like  some  Roman  of  old  with  his  toga 


THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT 

around  him.  It  was  the  last  gleam  of  nobility  in 
a  human  soul  before  it  collapses  and  dies.  And 
Arnold,  like  other  evil  doers,  had  to  be  contented 
and  bide  his  time. 

"Mother,"  said  Grace  to  Mrs.  Feld,  "Rebecca 
is  in  the  parlor.  I  am  sure  I  do  not  want  to  see 
her.  I  shall  send  down  word  'not  at  home,  en 
gaged,'  anything." 

"No,  Grace,  go  and  see  her.  You  will  feel  all 
the  better,  dear,  for  seeing  some  one.  In  listen 
ing  to  her  talk  you  will  forget  your  own  troubles. 
Go,  go." 

"I  never  can  forget  my  own  sorrows,  but  I 
shall  obey  you.  Do  my  eyes  look  very  red?" 

"No ;  you  can  say  you  have  a  headache." 

"It  will  be  the  truth,  too.  For  my  poor  head 
racks  me  sadly.  You  must  not  cry,  though;  it 
will  not  alter  anything.  It  will  not  bring  me 
happiness.  It  is  not  your  fault,  dear,"  and  Grace 
tenderly  kissed  her  mother  and  left  the  room. 

"Why,  Grace,  I  have  not  seen  you  for  an  age. 
You  owe  me  a  visit,  you  know,  but  I  was  afraid 
you  were  sick,  so  I  thought  I  shouldn't  be  cere 
monious,"  and  Rebecca  Silverbaum  shook  her 
hands  vigorously. 

"I  have  not  been — I  am  not  very  well.  My 
head  aches  so,"  said  Grace,  seating  herself. 

"No,  you  don't  look  well,  feverish  like.  You 
should  take  something,"  added  Rebecca,  sym- 
pathizingly.  "Ma  has  some  excellent  medicine 
for  fever;  I  shall  bring  you  some." 

"Pray  don't  trouble  yourself.   This  fever  must 


THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT  251 

cure  itself.  I  never  take  medicine  except  when 
absolutely  necessary." 

"What  a  baby  you  are.  You  are  positively 
alarmed  about  taking  a  little  medicine.  You 
must  be  like  me,  Grace ;  they  tell  me  that  I  grow 
stouter  every  day,  that  being  engaged  'agrees' 
with  me.  But,  to  tell  you  the  truth,  I  am  not  so 
contented  as  people  think,"  and  Rebecca  looked 
dismal  for  half  a  minute. 

"What  can  possibly  disturb  you,  Rebecca  ?  Mr. 
Berkhoff  is  loving " 

"Loving,  is  it?"  interrupted  Rebecca.  "I 
should  think  he  was.  If  I  were  to  say  I  had  a 
headache,  he  would  neglect  his  pleasure — that  is, 
his  business — to  be  around  me.  I  am  his  'life/ 
he  says." 

"Rebecca,  what  more  can  a  woman  demand 
than  the  whole  love  of  the  man  she  intends  to 
marry?  You  are  in  heaven." 

"I  don't  want  to  be  in  heaven,  Grace.  I  want 
to  try  it  on  earth — and  you  know  here  we  need 
earthly  things.  Of  course  I  love  Berkhoff,  be 
cause  he  is  good  and  gives  me  everything;  that 
is,  I  have  all  he  can  afford.  Your  intended  must 
be  very  rich,  people  all  say  so.  What  a  cry  they 
make  about  your  diamonds,  your  jewelry,  heav 
ens!  are  you  sick?"  said  Rebecca,  as  Grace 
turned  deathly  pale,  closed  her  eyes  and  lay  back 
in  the  chair.  "What  shall  I  do,  ring  for  help  or 
run  for  your  mother?" 

"Neither,"  replied  Grace,  faintly.  "I  am  sorry, 
but  you  will  have  to  excuse  me ;  I  am  not  feeling 
well,"  and  she  burst  into  tears. 

"Dear  heart,  what  did  you  come  down  for? 


252  THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT 

I  would  have  gone  up  to  your  room.  Let  me 
take  you  upstairs.  I  can  almost  carry  you.  I 
know  you  are  as  light  as  a  feather." 

"Thank  you,  Rebecca,  I  shall  not  go  upstairs; 
I  might  alarm  my  mother.  I  am  going  to  take  a 
nap  in  this  chair,  and  when  I  wake  up  I  think 
I  shall  feel  better.  You  must  be  sure  and  call 
another  day,"  said  Grace,  making  a  vain  attempt 
to  smile. 

"Certainly,  I  shall.  You  must  not  get  sick 
now,  you  must  get  married  soon.  Ma  says  it  is 
time  for  me  too.  She  is  dreadfully  down  on  long 
engagements.  Good-bye.  If  I  see  Mr.  Lavalle, 
I  shall  send  him  to  you." 

"Rebecca,  you  will  not,  you  must  not,  I  mean 
ought  not  to,  do  anything  of  the  kind,"  ex 
claimed  Grace. 

"Don't  get  excited.  If  you  don't  want  me  to 
I  won't  tell  him,"  said  Rebecca,  as  she  gently 
closed  the  door  after  her  and  went  down  to 
BerkhofF s  store  at  a  rapid  pace. 

"Busy,  Berkhoff,"  said  Rebecca,  while  she 
nodded  to  the  clerks. 

"Always  time  for  you,  my  dumpling,"  re 
sumed  Berkhoff  in  her  ear  as  he  walked  down 
to  the  office  with  her. 

"Well,  how  are  things  in  general?"  jerked  out 
Rebecca. 

"Pretty  much  the  same,  no  change  for  the  bet 
ter.  Don't  you  change." 

"I  have  been  to  see  Grace  Feld,"  returned  Re 
becca,  changing  the  subject.  "She  is  not  well, 
she  says,  but  I  believe  things  are  wrong  up  there, 
\Vhat  can  the  matter  be,  I  wonder?" 


THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT  253 

"You  see,  Rebecca,  that  Grace,  with  all  her 
jewelry,  is  not  happy." 

"She  ought  to  be,  I  am  sure." 

"But  suppose  Lavalle  goes  to  see  some  one 
who  has  struck  his  fancy?  She  thinks  if  she 
was  you  she  would  be  happy.  Report  has  long 
words  about  Lavalle,  stories  maybe.  You  know 
I  haven't  much  time  for  these  things  now." 

"You  must  offer  a  few  suggestions  to  Everard 
about  it,  he  seems  to  be  intimate  with  Mr.  La 
valle,"  said  Rebecca,  whose  ears  were  ringing 
with  Grace's  cry  about  love. 

"That  Lavalle  I  don't  know  much  about.  He 
is  mighty  fine  and  don't  take  up  much  with  me, 
and  might  get  mad  at  a  word  from  Everard.  I'll 
see.  Everard  needs  talking  to  himself." 

"Why,  Berkhoff,  Everard  is  a  model  man.  I 
thought  you  liked  him." 

"I  do  think  the  world  of  him,  that's  just  the 
reason.  He  is  good  and  noble,  but  I  am  afraid 
he  will  throw  himself  away." 

"Into  somebody's  arms,  I  guess,"  said  Re 
becca,  laughing. 

"Don't  laugh.  It's  too  great  a  matter.  He  is 
after  the  daughter  of  the  Philistines,"  answered 
Berkhoff,  seriously. 

"I  declare  I  have  never  seen  any  one  like  you. 
I  know  he  has  no  more  idea  of  such  a  thing  than 
he  has  of  marrying  me;  that's  remote  enough, 
isn't  it?" 

"I  hope  so,  Rebecca.  He  is  too  good  a  friend 
of  mine  to  think  of  you.  But  I  am  afraid " 

"Never  mind.  Whom  here  shall  he  court? 
Grace  Feld  and  I  are  engaged.  Letitia  Rhein- 


254  THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT 

berg  he  dislikes,  and  I  am  glad  of  it;  so  he  goes 
to  see  the  Hills.  He  calls  Amelia  'dignified,  ele 
gant,  refined.'  I  call  her  puffed  up,  haughty, 
arrogant.  But  he  talks  of  her  too  coldly  to  love 
her.  When  he  is  ready  to  marry  he  will  import 
a  girl  from  St.  Louis  or  the  East.  Don't  worry 
about  him,  think  of  yourself.  Whose  pretty  flow 
ers  are  these?"  said  Rebecca,  pointing  to  a  hand 
some  bouquet  in  a  tumbler  of  water. 

"They  are  for  you,  dear.  I  was  going  to 
bring  them  to  you  this  evening.  You  like  flow 
ers,"  replied  Berkhoff,  pressing  her  hand  affec 
tionately. 

"And  all  pretty  things,"  returned  Rebecca. 
They  say  Lavalle  sends  or  brings  Grace  a  bou 
quet  every  day." 

"It  must  cost  much  money,  too  much  for  me 
to  spend  in  such  perishing  things,  and  then  you 
have  flowers  in  your  little  garden." 

"You  see,"  said  Rebecca,  taking  her  hand 
away  from  Berkhoff,  "that  is  what  wealth  does, 
it  creates  a  love  for  the  beautiful." 

"There  you  are  mistaken,  my  girl,  that's  born 
in  the  heart.  You  are  beautiful,  and  twenty  mil 
lions  could  not  make  me  find  one  more  beauti 
ful." 

"I  must  be  going,"  said  Rebecca,  laughing, 
"your  talk  is  growing  too  sweet." 

"Are  you  going  because  I  am  coming  in,  Miss 
Rebecca,"  said  Everard,  walking  in. 

"No,  but  because  it  is  time  for  me  to  be  home. 
Good-bye,"  and  Rebecca  went  off  in  great  haste. 

"I  am  growing  more  helpless  every  day.  It  is 
no  use.  I  shall  have  to  fail,  and  soon,  too.  If  I 


THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT  255 

was  only  sure  of  the  girl,  I  wouldn't  care;  for  I 
intend  afterwards  to  pay  up  all  my  debts  dollar 
for  dollar  if  I  live  long  enough,"  added  Berk- 
hoff. 

"A  stupendous  work,"  said  Everard,  whistling, 
"for  you  owe  many  thousands,  and  unless  you 
have  extraordinary  good  luck,  it  will  require 
very  economical  living  to  pay  off.  Still,  if  you 
have  the  courage  to  face  the  future  in  that  way, 
I  admire  your  pluck  and  honesty,"  and  he  took 
Berkhoffs  hand  and  shook  it  warmly. 

"You  know  how  I  feel  about  this  miserable 
business,  and  that  I  have  tried  every  possible 
way  to  get  clear.  I  can't  do  it  now,  but  I  must 
do  it  some  day.  Poor  Rebecca,  I  have  told  her 
things  don't  go  as  they  should,  but  she  has  no 
idea  how  they  are  going.  I'll  hold  on  as  long  as 
I  can  though." 

"By  all  means.  Have  you  given  up  all  hopes 
of  collecting  those  large  debts?" 

"I  think  I  might  as  well.  If  I  could  get  in  all 
my  bad  debts  I  would  be  flush.  This  credit  sys 
tem  here  has  ruined  me.  I  shall  have  to  fail 
through  others  failing  to  pay  me.  I  wonder  if 
they  feel  as  bad  about  it  as  I  do?" 

"I  am  afraid  not,  Berkhoff.  Have  hope.  Hand 
over  all  your  bad  debts  to  me  for  collecting;  I 
shall  see  what  I  can  do  with  them." 

"I  should  have  done  that  some  time  ago." 

"Well,  it  will  do  now,  if  anything  can  be  done. 
I  shall  be  over  to-morrow  and  look  at  your  books. 
I  must  go  now.  I  have  a  little  business  at  the 
office  to  look  over." 


256  THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT 

"Say,  Everard,  do  you  see  much  of  that  La- 
valle?" 

"I  see  him  sometimes  at  the  hotel.  He  has 
kept  himself  a  little  distant  of  late,  so  I  give  him 
plenty  of  room." 

"Do  you  know,  Rebecca  was  to  see  Miss  Feld, 
and  thinks  she  is  unhappy.  Have  you  heard  any 
tales?"  inquired  Berkhoff. 

"The  air  is  thick  with  rumors,  but  I  never  pay 
attention  to  such  things;  for  I  think  he  is  too 
much  of  a  gentleman  to  wander  very  far  from 
the  path." 

"I  thought  you  might  hint  to  him  about  the 
talk,  the  wrong." 

"Stop,  please.  Do  not  make  any  such  requests 
of  me.  It  must  be  a  dear  friend  for  me  to  inter 
fere  with  his  private  affairs.  I  have  sufficient  to 
do  to  attend  to  my  own." 

"Everard,  I  am  your  friend,  am  I  not?  though 
not  on  footing  with  you  on  book-learning." 

"I  think  you  are  my  friend,  and  there  must 
be  congeniality  somewhere,  though  I  cannot  tell 
the  spot." 

"Let  me  warn  you  of  the  danger  you  are  in." 

"See  here,  Berkhoff,"  returned  Everard, 
coldly,  "I  thank  you  for  your  kindness,  but, 
thank  God,  my  vision  is  perfect.  I  need  no  guide 
to  show  me  the  way.  Good-day." 

"Are  you  mad?"  said  Berkhoff,  going  after 
him. 

"No,  no ;  but  I  must  go  now.  I  shall  return  at 
the  appointed  time." 

"A  pretty  thing,  indeed,"  muttered  Everard: 
"I  am  to  reprove  Lavalle,  while  Berkhoff  under- 


THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT  257 

takes  to  be  my  censor !  How  do  you  do,  ladies," 
and  he  took  off  his  hat  and  bowed  deeply  to  the 
Misses  Hill.  "Are  you  going  home?" 

"Yes,"  replied  Amelia. 

"Have  you  any  objection  to  company?" 

Amelia  remained  silent,  but  Alice  answered, 
"Certainly  not." 

"Dear  me,  Alice,"  said  Charlie  Bennett,  "you 
make  a  fellow  perspire.  I  caught  a  glimpse  of 
you  some  two  blocks  down  the  street  and  im 
mediately  commenced  the  chase.  Thanks,  Mr. 
Everard,  for  detaining  the  ladies  a  moment. 
Come,  Alice,  have  compassion  on  me  and  do 
some  talking  this  warm  weather." 

"Charlie,  be  quiet.  I  command  you  not  to  say 
another  word  until  we  arrive  home,"  returned 
Alice. 

"Nor  you,  either;  an  injunction  we  shall  both 
follow,  won't  we?"  said  Charlie,  laughing  mer 
rily. 

"I  think,  Miss  Hill,  we  shall  have  to  form  the 
van  of  the  file,"  said  Everard,  as  Bennett  and 
Alice  fell  back.  "Though  novel,  a  pleasant  po 
sition  for  us  to  be  in." 

Amelia  adroitly  turned  the  subject  to  her  fath 
er's  condition,  saying,  "Dear  father  cannot  at 
tend  to  his  law  business  so  closely  as  formerly, 
and  if  he  were  not  of  such  a  genial,  sunny  dis 
position  he  would  become  irritable,  but  he  grows 
kinder,  more  amiable,  more  charitable." 

"Such  diseases  require  time,  Miss  Hill,  and  I 
think  your  father  will  regain  perfect  health." 

"I  hope  and  pray  so." 

They  walked  on  in  silence  until  they  reached 


258  THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT 

the  gate,  when  Bennett  ran  up,  exclaiming, 
"Well,  Amelia,  I  have  never  seen  your  equal. 
You  will  be  the  champion  female  pedestrian  if 
you  keep  on.  Alice  and  I  have  been  striving  in 
vain  to  keep  up  with  you.  Mr.  Everard,  you  will 
take  a  prize,  too,  I  am  sure.  The  very  poplars 
are  sighing  and  protesting  against  such  conduct." 

"I  have  no  faith  in  those  trees,  they  tell  too 
many  tales,"  said  Everard. 

"Next  time  I  shall  stand  still  and  wait  for  you 
and  Charlie,"  said  Amelia,  laughing. 

"That  would  be  demanding  too  much,  would  it 
not,  Alice?"  asked  Bennett. 

"No  time  to  discuss  the  question  now.  It  is 
too  warm,"  replied  Alice.  "Come  in,  Mr.  Ever 
ard." 

"Yes,  come  in,"  added  Bennett. 

Everard  lingered,  but  said,  "No,  thank  you." 

"Mr.  Everard,  will  you  not  come  in  and  see 
father  ?"  said  Amelia,  as  she  stooped  and  plucked 
a  beautiful  Marechal  Kiel  rose. 

Everard  gladly  availed  himself  of  the  pretext 
to  see  Amelia's  father. 

"And  if  you  will  stay  to  dinner,"  said  Alice, 
"we  will  have  such  a  pleasant  time  afterwards. 
Charlie  tells  me  you  are  proficient  in  instrumental 
and  vocal  music,  and  as  we  all  play  a  little,  we 
shall  have  a  concert  on  a  small  scale.  Papa  will 
be  delighted,"  and  the  little  programme  was  car 
ried  out. 


THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT  259 


CHAPTER  XXIII. 

It  was  a  calm  summer  afternoon  in  the  latter 
end  of  June.  All  nature  shone  in  her  charms  of 
vegetable  and  floral  life.  Trees,  shrubs,  vines, 
grasses,  wild  flowers  and  exotics  were  every 
where  in  a  wild  luxuriance.  Red  and  black  cher 
ries  hung  down  from  their  overladen  branches, 
ripe  apples  strewed  the  ground,  the  fences  were 
thickset  with  the  fruitful  gooseberry  and  rasp 
berry  bushes,  the  strawberry  vines  with  their 
pulpy  arid  delicious  fruit  ran  along  close  to  the 
earth.  Garden  and  orchard  were  clothed  with 
the  flush  and  beauty  of  the  tropics. 

The  rain  of  the  night  previous  had  laid  the 
dust.  The  heliotrope,  jasmine  and  lemon  ver 
bena  perfumed  the  air.  A  beautiful  humming 
bird  flew  fearlessly  into  the  open  window  of  the 
room  where  Grace  was  sitting,  darted  out  again 
and  lighted  on  the  window-sill,  pecking  with  its 
long  bill  at  a  crumb  which  had  fallen  there. 

"Mother,"  said  Grace  to  Mrs.  Feld,  who  was 
attempting  to  embroider  a  handkerchief,  "see 
that  bird  with  its  brilliant  plumage,  how  it  hums 
and  chirps.  Oh,  that  I  could  be  as  happy  as  it 
is." 

"Wait,  child,  time  may  bring  it." 
"Time  brings  roses,  but  no  more  for  me." 
"Lavalle  has  not   forgotten  you,  because    he 
sends  you  the  flowers  regularly." 


260  THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT 

"But,  mother,  formerly,  he  brought  them  him 
self  or  sent  a  note  and  soon  followed.  But, 
mother,  mother,"  continued  Grace,  frantically, 
"why  does  he  not  come?  He  is  well,  for  when 
father  calls  he  is  out.  It  is  a  frightful  question 
I  am  going  to  ask  you,  is  he  guilty?" 

"I  do  not  think  he  is,  and  if  he  should  be,  give 
him  a  little  time;  he  will  see  his  wrong  and  come 
back  to  you." 

"But  I  do  not  want  to  think,  I  want  to  know, 
mother.  This  suspense  is  horrible ;  it  is  killing 
me." 

"Well,  I  told  you  before  to  have  him  watched 
and  make  him  come  back  to  his  duty.  Your 
father  says  he  will  make  him  know  that  he  must 
marry  you." 

"No,  no,  mother ;  I  pray  you  not  to  do  that. 
I  do  not  wish  an  investigation.  'Seek  and  ye 
shall  find.'  To  force  him  back  to  me,  that  would 
never,  never  do,"  cried  Grace,  wringing  her 
hands. 

"What  shall  be  done,  then?"  said  her  mother, 
wiping  the  tears  from  her  eyes. 

"Nothing.  If  William  is  not  guilty,  am  I  not? 
Let  father  leave  him  alone  and  not  forget  the 
jewels.  Before  I  gave  up  the  diamonds  it 
grieved  me  to  think  of  it,  now  that  action  has 
expanded  and  magnified  into  a  formidable  guilt, 
which  leaves  me  no  rest.  It  is  a  hideous  night 
mare." 

"You  must  drive  it  away  and  not  think  of  it." 

"But  it  is  like  Banquo's  ghost  and  will  'not 
down,'  "  sobbed  Grace. 


THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT  261 

"Don't  take  on  so.  Your  hope  lies  in  marry 
ing  him." 

"Of  course,  that  is  my  salvation,  if  he  would 
voluntarily,  but  if  not — 

"But  what  of  Arnold?"  interrupted  her 
mother. 

"Horror!  that  villain's  hateful  proposition  still 
rings  in  my  ears.  I  wish  William  would  come. 
I  want  to  see  him  and  I  do  not  want  to  see  him. 
When  he  does  come  what  shall  I  say  to  him 
about  the  jewels?"  gasped  Grace. 

"Child,  you  must  not  be  afraid;  if  you  do,  all 
is  lost.  He  will  not  ask  you;  it  is  not  expected 
that  you  should  always  wear  your  handsomest 
jewels." 

"But  if  he  should,  I  must  be  prepared  for 
such  an  emergency,"  urged  Grace. 

"Say  you  don't  want  to  wear  them  all  the  time, 
that  you  don't  care  much  for  jewelry." 

"But  he  knows  better.  And  the  rings?  I 
have  always  worn  some  of  them." 

"Well,  taste  changes.  Say  you  don't  care 
now.  God  will  put  some  happy  thought  into 
your  mind  to-day,"  replied  Mrs.  Feld,  earnestly. 

"But,  mother,  I  am  in  fear  God  will  forget  me 
then.  Once  entangled  in  the  network  of  un 
truth  and  deception,  it  appears  to  me  as  difficult 
to  escape  as  from  an  Egyptian  labyrinth.  I 
know,  mother,  I  shall  never  be  able  to  extricate 
myself,"  and  Grace  sighed  dismally. 

"Put  your  trust  in  God,  Grace ;  we  are  in 
trouble,  we  must  pray  to  Him  to  help  us  and  He 
will."  With  this  solemn  assurance  Airs.  Feld 


262  THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT 

kissed  her  daughter  tenderly  and  left  her  to  her 
own  reflections. 

Grace  covered  her  face  with  her  hands  to  shut 
out  the  terrible  reality  and  moaned  aloud.  A 
hand  was  softly  laid  on  her  shoulder,  another 
softly  stroked  her  hair,  then  glided  to  her  face, 
took  her  hands  off  and  worked  over  it  with  gen 
tle  touch  and  mesmeric  power. 

"Is  it  you,  dear  Alary?" 

"In  tears  again?  Come,  come,  this  will  never 
do.  Will  you  not  confide  in  me,  your  most  de 
voted  friend?  What  troubles  your  gentle  heart? 
Speak  and  tell  me,  I  beseech  you." 

"I  would  that  I  could." 

"Well,  try  and  do  it.  Am  I  your  friend  only 
when  you  bask  in  the  sunshine  of  fortune? 
Would  I  desert  you  when  she  frowns  and  threat 
ens  to  take  all  her  gifts  away?  You  know  me 
too  well  to  suppose  that.  I  love  you  as  truly  as 
ever  Jonathan  did  David.  Oh,  that  I  could  avert 
any  danger  that  menaces  you,"  said  Mary,  kiss 
ing  Grace  affectionately.  The  fervent  and  con 
soling  words  came  truly  from  her  heart,  and 
were  well  calculated  to  affect  deeply  a  being  so 
susceptible  as  Grace. 

"Alas!  my  troubles  are  greater  than  I  can 
bear,"  and  Grace  wept  afresh. 

"  'The  shoulders  are  always  fitted  to  the  bur 
den.'  ' 

"My  shoulders  are  too  weak ;  I  shall  sink  un 
der  the  weight.  Unless  it  is  removed  it  will 
crush  me  to  the  earth." 

"Well,  then,  let  me  be  your  Atlas,  let  me  bear 
at  least  some  of  the  burden,"  rejoined  Mary. 


THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT  263 

smilingly;  "with  my  shoulders  you  need  not 
fear." 

"Your  intentions  are  good  any  way." 

"Indeed  they  are.  But  it  is  no  wonder  that 
your  thoughts  are  heavy,  confined  as  you  keep 
yourself  to  the  house.  Everything  calls  you  out 
to-day.  Come,  go  bathe  your  face." 

"But  I  do  not  wish  to  go  out." 

"Yes,  yes,  you  must.  Go  get  your  white 
sacque,  hat  and  veil.  Here  they  are,"  and  as 
Mary  spoke,  she  put  on  Grace's  sacque,  took  the 
pretty  white  chip  hat  with  its  jaunty  ribbons 
from  the  bandbox,  placed  it  on  her  head,  ar 
ranged  her  veil,  and  putting  her  arm  through 
hers  they  went  into  the  street. 

"You  do  with  me  what  you  like.  I  have  not 
the  strength  to  remonstrate." 

"Why  should  you,  when  it  is  for  your  good? 
It  is  so  pleasant  now  that  we  shall  take  a  little 
stroll  and  sit  under  our  favorite  hawthorn  tree. 
The  soft  atmosphere,  the  flowers,  the  quiet, 
charming  streets  will  enliven  your  drooping 
spirits." 

Grace  did  not  answer  her  companion,  but 
walked  on  with  downcast  eyes. 

"Here  we  are  at  your  cousin's  house.  Have 
you  seen  her  to-day?" 

"No,  let  us  walk  a  little  faster  so  that  we  can 
get  out  of  the  dust." 

"Dust,"  exclaimed  Mary,  "there  is  none.  You 
forget  it  rained  last  night.  Shall  we  stop  for 
Letltia?" 

"No,"  returned  Grace,  tremblingly,  "I  do  not 
wish  to  see  her." 


264  THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT  : 

"There  is  a  window  open  there.  I  wish  I 
could  look  in  and  see  if  she  is  there." 

"Mary,"  cried  Grace,  "if  you  do  not  come  on 
I  shall  turn  back.  I  do  not  wish  to  see  any  one, 
I  tell  you." 

"Well,  well,  come  on,  dear;  you  cannot  see 
much  through  that  veil  and  none  can  see  you." 

Neither  spoke,  but  walked  on  until  they  found 
themselves  under  the  old  hawthorn  tree,  when 
Mary  said:  "How  thankful  I  am  for  this  little 
bench.  Sit  down ;  remove  your  veil,  dear.  No 
one  will  see  you  here." 

Grace  sat  down  and  the  tears  sprang  to  her 
eyes.  This  was  the  favorite  resting  place  of  La- 
valle.  Not  so  very  long  ago  this  tree  had  shel 
tered  her  and  her  affianced  husband.  He  had 
told  her,  though  he  loved  the  pearly  whiteness  of 
her  cheeks,  yet,  by  autumn,  when  she  would  be 
his  happy  bride,  her  cheeks  should  be  as  red  as 
the  clustering  berries  would  one  day  be  on  this 
old,  stunted  hawthorn  tree.  The  memory  of 
those  happy  times  came  to  her  like  a  dream. 

"Dear  Grace,"  resumed  Mary,  "do  not  grieve 
so.  With  all  your  jewels,  laces  and  velvets  are 
you  not  happy?  Or  have  you  come  to  the  con 
clusion  that  earthly  things  lose  their  freshness? 
What  has  become  of  the  beautiful  rings  you  al 
ways  wore?"  and  Mary,  for  the  first  time,  ob 
served  her  friend's  hands,  and  saw  through  the 
lace  mitts  that  the  fingers  lacked  the  sparkling 
jewels. 

"I  left  them  at  home,"  returned  her  compan 
ion  carelessly,  yet  becoming  crimson.  "I  do 
not  care  for  them  any  more." 


THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT  265 

"Then  you  must  have  some  serious  trouble, 
dear  Grace.  It  is  now  that  you  feel  the  want  of 
the  comfort  of  our  holy  religion." 

"It  will  not  give  me  what  I  want;  I  seek  only 
a  balm  for  my  wounded  heart." 

"Those  who  are  under  its  blessed  influence  re 
ceive  that  and  it  can  be  derived  from  no  other 
source." 

"In  what  way?"  demanded  Grace,  eagerly. 

"Confession  alone  will  relieve  your  wounded 
spirit." 

"Confession  I  consider  one  of  the  peculiar  and 
hateful  observances  of  the  Catholic  religion.  To 
lay  open  the  heart  with  its  hideous  lacerations, 
to  confide  in  another,  a  stranger  who  is  not  in 
sympathy  with  one's  feelings,  to  reveal  thoughts 
which  are  concealed  within  the  innermost  re 
cesses  of  the  soul,  delicate  as  the  breath  of  a 
zephyr,  is  to  me  a  profanation.  I  mean  nothing 
personal.  I  have  only  said  what  I  earnestly  feel." 

"I  am  not  at  all  angry.  But,  clear  Grace,  I 
must  tell  you  you  have  a  mistaken  view  of  con 
fession.  It  is  heaven's  own  dew  sent  to  moisten 
the  parched  deserts  over  which  man  has  to  travel 
in  his  earthly  pilgrimage.  To  unfold  our  sor 
rows  mitigates  them,  to  unburden  our  secrets  is 
balsam  to  our  souls." 

"This  institution  of  Roman  Catholicism,  by 
which  all  our  affections,  passions,  joys  and  sor 
rows  are  laid  bare,  appears  to  me  an  odious 
tyranny." 

"It  is  an  essential  observance  constituted  by 
God  to  alleviate  the  misery  and  guide  the  pas- 


266  THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT 

sions  of  poor,  deluded  man.  How  many  a  poor 
mortal  borne  down  with  misery  and  oppression, 
not  knowing  which  way  to  take,  has  gone  with 
weary  steps  and  fainting  heart  to  one  of  these 
holy  men  and  told  him  the  cause  of  his  distress ; 
the  priest,  with  paternal  advice  and  divine  in 
spiration,  guides  him  and  he  comes  out  of  the 
confessional  with  beaming  eyes  and  throbbing 
heart,  thanking  God  for  having  made  so  fine  a 
provision  for  his  wants  as  this  rite  affords." 

"Hush!"  said  Grace.  "Can  order  come  out  of 
the  chaos  of  my  ideas?" 

"What  could  give  you  more  comfort,"  con 
tinued  Mary,  "than  to  pour  into  some  sympathiz 
ing  ear  the  story  of  your  troubles  and  rely  for 
guidance  on  some  good,  pure  and  holy  person?" 

"According  to  your  explanation,  I  should  not 
find  it  inquisitorial  or  analytic,  but  tender,  com 
passionate,  circumspect." 

"Grace,"  said  Mary,  as  her  face  lighted  up 
with  a  glow  akin  to  enthusiasm,  "is  light  break 
ing  through  the  darkness  of  your  thoughts? 
Would  you  embrace  it?" 

"Have  I  been  groping  in  the  dark?" 

"Think,  Grace,  of  the  trials  and  temptations  to 
which  the  saints  were  subjected  before  their  con 
version,  and  they  were  all  the  better  for  them. 
They  came  out  of  the  furnace  like  refined  gold  ; 
purified  of  the  dross.  Many  and  many  have  suf 
fered  martyrdom  for  our  blessed  religion,  some 
were  canonized.  And  you  are  near  salvation ; 
turn  not  from  it,"  added  Mary,  earnestly. 

"Mary,  I  am  weary.  Let  us  go  home.  Mother 
will  be  uneasy  at  my  absence." 


THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT  267 

When  the  two  friends  wended  their  way  home 
ward  the  sun  was  sinking  below  the  western 
horizon,  tipping  the  valley  with  purple  and  gold, 
and  one  by  one  the  starry  host  appeared. 


268  THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 

"Why,  man,"  said  Lavalle  to  Berkhoff,  as  he 
met  him  in  the  corridor  of  the  hotel,  "why  this 
haste,  this  agitation?" 

"Mrs.  Silverbaum  sent  me  word  that  my  Re 
becca  is  not  feeling  well.  I  must  run,  I  have  no 
patience,"  and  Berkhoff  darted  off  with  light 
ning  speed. 

Lavalle  retraced  his  steps  to  his  rooms.  "The 
words,  'My  Rebecca,'  "  said  he,  "have  acted  upon 
me  like  a  shower  bath.  I  have  been  delirious, 
but  all  dizziness  is  gone,  my  head  is  clear,"  and 
he  pressed  his  hands  to  his  brow.  "I  can  laugh 
now  at  the  machinations.  The  fetters  are 
broken  which  for  a  few  fleeting  weeks  riveted 
my  soul  with  a  vise-like  clasp,  yet  fetters  that,  in 
the  heat  of  passion,  I  thought  golden.  The  spell 
is  over,  the  enchantment  broken.  I  shall  make 
amends  to  my  darling  Grace  with  my  life  for 
those  weeks  of  wavering  love  and  violated  fidel 
ity.  My  little  violet  overshadowed  by  a  taller 
and  gaudier  flower!  I  could  weep  tears  of  blood 
for  my  honor  and  my  faith.  But,  thank  God, 
there  is  no  harm  done.  Nothing  but  idle  words 
spoken  in  moments  of  delusion.  I  must  seek  my 
beloved  Grace  immediately.  I  have  already 
wasted  too  much  time  in  this  retrospection." 

He  passed  before  the  mirror  and,  observing 


THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT  269 

his  disheveled  hair,  went  back,  took  his  brush  and 
arranged  it  carefully.  The  parting  of  the  hair, 
the  folding  of  the  necktie,  the  adjusting  of  the 
cuffs,  were  done  with  minute  precision;  they  did 
not  betray  the  emotions  raging  within  his  soul. 
Having  completed  his  toilet  to  his  satisfaction, 
he  took  up  his  cane  and  left  the  room.  He 
walked  along  the  hall  in  an  abstracted  manner, 
when  he  unintentionally  jostled  rather  violently 
against  a  man. 

"Hello !  a  collision.  Why  the  deuce,  this  con 
cussion  almost  upset  my  gravity!  Makes  a  fel 
low  feel  queer  in  the  cerebral  regions,"  and  Ar 
nold  rubbed  his  left  hand  slowly  and  composedly 
across  his  forehead.  Lavalle  received  the  shock 
like  a  veteran  of  war.  He  was  going  to  apolo 
gize  and  pass  on  with  a  word  of  recognition, 
when  he  suddenly  stopped.  He  became  very 
pale,  and  his  respiration  came  and  went  in  heavy 
puffings.  He  did  not  articulate,  but  hissed  forth 
the  words,  "Where  did  you  get  that?" 

"What  do  you  mean?"  and  there  stood  Arnold, 
with  utmost  sang  froid,  stroking  his  moustache 
with  his  left  hand,  while  an  evil  gleam  leapt  into 
his  eyes. 

Lavalle  with  a  fire  of  a  volcano  slumbering  in 
his  bosom  was  furious  at  his  nonchalance  and 
assumed  ignorance.  He  seemed  like  "aegis-hear 
ing  Jove"  when  he  spoke.  "Beware,  demon,  how 
you  mock  me.  How  came  you  in  possession  of 
that  ring  on  the  little  finger  of  your  left  hand? 
The  gold  circle  must  have  been  enlarged,  but 
that  peculiar  setting  I  know.  Answer  me  im 
mediately." 


270  THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT 

Not  a  flush  rose  to  Arnold's  face.  The  blood 
coursed  regularly  through  the  proper  channels 
as  he  said,  "Rather  a  peculiar  question  for  you 
to  ask  of  me." 

"Do  not  trifle  with  me,  I  warn  you,"  replied 
Lavalle,  losing  command  over  himself,  while  his 
adversary  remained  cool. 

"Mon  cher  ami,  why  this  temper?  I  declare 
I  have  never  seen  you  act  this  way  before.  You 
will  arouse  the  inmates.  Had  not  fortune  fa 
vored  you  at  this  present  time,  at  the  expense  ol 
some  unlucky  waiter  crashing  a  lot  of  crockery, 
you  would  have  been  overheard,  and  to  be  ex 
planatory  before  the  people  might  seriously  com 
promise  the  reputation  of  one,"  and  now  Ar 
nold's  voice  was  full  of  tenderness,  "who  is 
dearer  to  me  than  life." 

Lavalle,  who  was  now  alive  to  the  fallacy  of 
his  temper  and  peril  of  an  exposure,  made  no  re 
ply.  Arnold's  closing  sentence  gave  birth  to  a 
fearful  suspicion,  which  quenched  the  raging 
fires  and  so  stupefied  him  that  he  allowed  Arnold 
to  take  him  by  his  arm  to  his  room,  place  two 
chairs,  throw  himself  into  one  and  tell  him  to  be 
seated  in  the  other. 

"I  am  seated  now  and  waiting  for  an  explana 
tion,"  said  Lavalle. 

"You  shall  have  it.  I  have  on  my  finger  this 
diamond,  whose  luster  would  not  pale  by  the  side 
of  the  famous  Kohinoor,  and  though  I  need  not, 
shall  not  tell  all  I  know  of  the  history  connected 
with  it,  I  value  it  not  for  its  worth,  which,  though 
great,  is  nothing  in  comparison  to  that  of  the 
donor.  I  hold  it  above  all  gems,  because  it  pro- 


THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT  271 

cures  me  earthly  happiness.  It  brings  me  a 
heart  for  whose  slightest  pulsation  I  would  risk 
heaven  and  earth,  pull  Jove  from  his  throne, 
pitch  Vulcan  into  the  sea,  take  the  trident  from 
Neptune  and  send  destruction  into  Mount  Olym 
pus." 

"Ha,  ha,"  laughed  Lavalle  ironically,  "how 
easy  to  annihilate  imaginary  powers." 

"Never  mind  ridicule.  She  will  be  mine  soon, 
is  mine  now  in  promise,  and  is  doubly  precious 
because  I  snatched  her  from  another's  arms.  I 
love  her  wildly,  madly,  and  would  destroy  any 
thing  and  everything  as  I  do  this,"  and  Arnold, 
taking  his  cane,  shivered  it  into  fragments  and 
sent  them  flying  through  the  open  window,  re 
gardless  of  the  pedestrians  below. 

As  Lavalle  divined  who  that  person  might  be, 
every  word  spoken  by  Arnold  was  like  a  funeral 
pall  thrown  on  his  bright  hopes.  The  shock  he 
sustained  by  the  unexpected  necessity  of  doubt 
ing  the  pure  love  and  the  good  faith  of  his  be 
trothed  so  prostrated  him  that  he  barely  had  the 
strength  to  ask,  "The  name  of  this  girl?" 

"Well,  now,  I  believe  it  is  not  a  general  cus 
tom  to  tell  every  one  for  the  mere  asking  the 
name  of  one's  fiancee.  The  lovely  girl  gave  me 
the  ring ;  I  could  not  squeeze  it  on  my  little  fin 
ger.  She  begged  me  to  take  it  to  Young's  and 
have  the  diamond  reset  in  another  circlet  of  gold 
to  fit  mine.  I  had  it  done  at  once,  and  then 
brought  it  to  her,  at  the  same  time  asking  her  to 
put  it  on  for  me,  which  she  did  in  a  charming, 
naive  manner.  Ah !  those  delicate,  soft  fingers. 
I  feel  their  gentle,  loving  touch  still,"  and 


272  THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT 

Arnold  closed  his  eyes  in  rapture,  as  if  to  enjoy 
over  again  those  delicious  moments.  After  a 
few  seconds  he  unclosed  them  and  said:  "But  I 
don't  care  if  I  do  transgress  the  rules  for  once 
and  tell  you.  You  are  a  sort  of  confidential 
friend,  you  know,  and  therefore  will  rejoice  in 
my  happiness.  The  name  of  my  affianced  is — 
Grace  Feld."  With  a  mocking,  exulting  laugh, 
he  sprang  to  the  door  and  hastily  left  the  build 
ing. 

So  overcome  was  Lavalle  by  this  revelation — 
though  from  the  commencement  of  Arnold's  talk 
he  imagined,  yet  fondly  hoped,  he  might  be  mis 
taken — that  for  the  moment  he  could  only  moan, 
"Faithless  as  Cressid,  faithless  as  Cressid."  In 
a  little  while  more  the  leering,  jeering  face  of 
Arnold,  his  mocking  tone,  his  ringing,  defiant 
laugh,  came  floating  back  to  him.  "Where  is  the 
villain?"  said  he,  looking  around,  "I  wish  he 
were  here  so  I  could  throttle  him  or  force  him  to 
retract.  As  Asmodeus  murdered  the  seven  hus 
bands  of  Sara,  so  could  I  murder  any  number  of 
men  who  dare  unjustly  attack  the  fidelity  and 
truthfulness  of  Grace  to  me.  She  cannot  be  un 
faithful,  but  I  cannot  account  for  that  ring. 
That  diamond  I  gave  her,  and  if  his  words  are 
true  my  faith  in  all  womankind  will  be  gone,  my 
beautiful  dream  of  life  shattered."  Sweet  mem 
ories  of  other  days  pleaded  with  Lavalle  not  to 
condemn  Grace  unheard.  His  soul,  sick  with 
fear,  still  cried  out,  "My  Grace  must  be  innocent 
as  her  whole  life  has  been.  I  am  a  fool,  imposed 
upon  by  the  words  of  a  rascal.  I  shall  go  and 
investigate.  I  am  sure  my  little  girl's  character 


THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT  273 

will  stand  out  brighter  than  ever.  She  is  under 
a  cloud  now,  but  'every  cloud  has  a  silver  lining.' 
If  Arnold  has  spoken  untruthfully  of  her  noth 
ing  but  his  blood  can  atone  for  my  wounded 
honor." 

So  Lavalle  proceeded  at  a  rapid  pace  to  the 
jeweler,  Young's.  There  was  in  fact  only  one 
establishment  of  the  kind  in  the  place,  and  he 
had  been  there.  He  had  never  purchased  any 
thing  very  valuable  from  Young,  but  was  con 
tinually  buying  a  souvenir  for  this  one  or  that 
one,  so  that  he  had  come  to  be  regarded  as  a 
good  customer.  This  fondness  for  jewelry  was 
one  of  his  weaknesses. 

"Good-morning,  Mr.  Young,"  said  Lavalle,  on 
entering  the  store. 

"Good-morning,  sir.  Fine  day,  but  a  little 
warm,  take  a  seat,"  returned  Mr.  Young,  with  a 
peculiarly  obliging  and  friendly  smile. 

"I  think  I  shall,"  added  Lavalle,  not  slow  to 
comply  with  the  solicitation.  "If  it  is  warm, 
we  still  have  much  for  which  to  thank  the 
weather." 

"For  instance  what?" 

"When  we  are  lazy  and  do  not  wish  to  think 
or  our  supply  of  conversation  is  limited,  it  fur 
nishes  us  a  topic  to  talk  about,"  said  Lavalle,  in 
dolently. 

"Yes,  yes,"  replied  Young,  slightly  blushing, 
"It's  like  love,  'ever  old  yet  ever  new.'  " 

"Oh,  ah,  true!  Have  you  anything  new  in 
diamonds  ?" 

"No,  sir;  the  demand  for  such  precious  and 
expensive  stones  is  very  light  in  this  section  of 


274  THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT 

the  country.  In  fact,  so  much  so  that  if  I  had 
the  rose-colored  diamond,"  said  the  jeweler,  fa 
cetiously,  "I  could  leave  it  where  it  belongs,  in 
continual  darkness.  There  would  be  no  fear  of 
its  losing  its  color  by  the  inquiries  to  see  it.  I 
have  here  two  pretty  diamond  rings,  which  I 
would  sell  under  cost  because  they  are  not  ap 
preciated.  I  can  sell  any  number  of  gold  sets, 
bracelets,  rings  with  colored  glass,  crystal  trin 
kets,  etc.  But  when  it  comes  to  diamonds,  the 
few  who  buy  send  to  St.  Louis  for  them;  they 
don't  give  me  a  call."  He  took  out  of  the  glass 
case  a  tray  of  rings  and  showed  them  to  Lavalle. 

"This  is  a  very  clear  looking  crystal,"  re 
joined  Lavalle  admiringly. 

"By  the  by,  I  reset  a  diamond  yesterday  for  a 
gentleman.  The  circlet  of  gold  was  too  small  for 
his  finger,  so  I  made  a  larger  hoop  of  gold,  but 
placed  the  stone  precisely  as  it  orginally  was.  It 
was  of  extraordinary  size,  a  regular  beauty ;  one 
that  could  have  been  placed  without  disgrace  by 
the  side  of  Mr.  Coster's  display  at  the  famous 
Paris  Exposition." 

"From  whom  did  it  come?" 

"From  Mr.  Arnold;  how  he  came  by  it  I  can 
not  tell.  These  lecturers  are  sometimes  fortune's 
favorites  and  have  valuable  gems  given  them  by 
friends ;  oftentimes  by  fair  ones,  too.  These  men 
of  eloquence  win  their  way  so  easily,  though 
their  hearts  are  often  less  noble  than  their 
words."  Thus  had  the  loquacious  jeweler  in  a 
breath  confirmed  Arnold's  statement — the  cir 
cumstantial  evidence  was  growing  frightfully 
convicting. 


THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT  275 

"I  shall  not  buy  anything  to-day.  I  have  made 
an  appointment,"  said  Lavalle,  glancing  at  his 
watch.  "I  must  be  going." 

"Not  yet,"  mentally  exclaimed  Lavalle,  "shall 
I  judge  her  guilty.  No,  not  guilty  if  the  evi 
dence  came  from  the  archangel  Raphael.  The 
condemnation  must  come  from  her  own  lips. 
How  my  heart  quakes  with  fear  at  the  testimony. 
Grace  must  not  alone  be  as  faithful  as  Oriano  is 
represented,  but,  like  Caesar's  wife,  must  be 
'above  suspicion.'  Why  did  I  not  marry  her  im 
mediately  after  my  arrival?" 

The  faster  Lavalle  walked,  the  faster  flew  his 
thoughts,  which  were  suddenly  brought  to  a  halt 
by  being  confronted  with  Mr.  Feld's  house.  The 
scent  of  the  shrubbery,  the  singing  of  the  birds, 
the  splashing  of  the  fountains,  composed  his  agi 
tated  spirit.  He  walked  up  to  the  front  door; 
put  his  hand  on  it,  which  yielded  to  his  touch. 
He  went  into  the  hall  with  his  hat  in  his  hand 
and  gave  a  knock  at  the  parlor  door,  "Come  in," 
said  a  low,  plaintive  voice.  The  echo  struck  sadly 
on  his  ear. 

Lavalle  walked  in,  and  there  was  Grace  on  a 
low  ottoman,  reclining  her  head  on  the  sofa.  She 
was  dressed  in  simple  white  dimity,  neatly 
trimmed  with  valenciennes  lace;  necklace,  ear 
rings  and  bracelets  of  coral  set  off  this  plain  but 
becoming  attire.  She  was  so  white,  so  still,  she 
scarcely  seemed  to  breathe.  His  heart  was  seized 
with  a  spasm  for  his  neglect,  and  a  whispering 
guilt  at  hers  held  them  both  momentarily  dumb. 
She  had  not  seen  him  since  the  hypothecation  of 
the  jewels. 


276  THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT 

One,  two,  three  strides,  and  Lavalle  was  be 
fore  Grace.  "I  am  here,  my  darling,  to  atone 
for  a  few  days  of  inattention" — weeks  he  should 
have  said.  "I  know  not  how  it  was  brought 
about.  I  am  a  barbarian,  an  ingrate.  A  life 
long  of  devotion  and  love,  with  no  secrets  be 
tween  us,  do  I  offer  in  expiation  of  my  crime ; 
for  crime  it  is  to  leave  one  so  sweet  and  fair  as 
you.  Come,"  and  he  looked  beseechingly,  "I 
shall  be  all  candor.  Hark !  listen,  let  no  one  but 
you  hear  my  humiliating  confession.  I  have 
been  on  a  dangerous  precipice,  but  not  beyond 
it.  I  retreated  in  time,  only  taking  a  few  glances 
at  the  bewitching  chasm  below.  And  now  I  am 
back."  He  held  out  his  arms  with  an  imploring 
gesture. 

Grace,  shuddering  at  his  being  saved  from  a 
danger  which  appeared  to  her  more  horrible  than 
words  could  paint,  momentarily  forgot  her  woe, 
rose  from  her  seat  and  sank  into  his  arms. 

"Come,  darling,  sit  on  the  sofa  beside  me  and 
let  me  see  you  look  up  in  my  eyes.  Give  me  your 
dear  little  soft  hands,"  and  Lavalle  caressed  them 
gently. 

"You  are  forgiven  as  I  hope  to  be  forgiven 
when  I  die.  Do  not  worry  yourself  any  more 
about  it.  All  you  must  do  is  to  promise  me  never 
again  to  go  near  that  dangerous  abyss,"  rejoined 
Grace,  thinking  only  of  his  distress. 

"I  solemnly  declare  by  all  that  is  holy  never  in 
my  life  to  go  near  that  perilous  place." 

Thus  by  great  tact  these  two  had  avoided  men 
tioning  Letitia's  name.  They  had  not  even  indi 
cated  her  by  the  feminine  gender,  but  simply  the 


THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT  277 

neuter.  She  was  a  fearful,  frightful  spot,  a 
thing  to  be  as  much  dreaded  as  hydrophobia. 

"My  modest  little  flower,"  said  Lavalle,  fondly, 
"your  fragrance  and  freshness  will  never  die. 
My  love  shall  always  keep  you  blooming  like  a 
rose." 

"Your  goodness,  William,  exceeds  all  bounds," 
responded  Grace,  gratefully. 

"My  love,  please  do  not  talk  of  goodness.  You 
look  pale  to-day,  but  the  corals  well  become  your 
pearly  face.  Happiness  will  soon  bring  the  flush 
to  your  cheek.  Your  hands,  darling,  look  so 
white  and  are  so  finely  shaped." 

"William,  I  painted  such  a  pretty  little  picture 
last  week.  I  wish  to  get  it  and  let  you  see  it." 

"Not  now;  I  do  not  wish  any  prettier  picture 
than  you  are.  What  was  I  looking  at?" 

"I  am  sure  I  do  not  remember,  William." 

"Do  not  tax  your  memory,  my  angel.  I  know, 
it  was  your  lovely  hands.  Nothing  is  a  greater 
mistake  than  for  women  to  wear  rings  on  ugly 
ones.  It  only  renders  them  more  conspicuous. 
But  rings  are  made  to  adorn  such  hands  as 
yours.  You  must  have  been  absent-minded  this 
morning,  as  you  did  not  put  on  your  rings." 

"I  was  thinking  of  you,  William." 

"I  am  happy  to  know,  my  precious,  that  you 
care  so  much  for  me;  but  you  must  wear  the 
rings.  I  like  to  see  your  emerald  surrounded 
with  its  island  of  diamonds;  your  solitaire  flash 
ing  and  emitting  a  thousand  rays  of  light  as  you 
throw  your  hands  about,"  said  he,  playfully — it 
was  the  playfulness  of  the  lion. 


278  THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT 

"You  naughty,  charming  man,"  responded 
Grace.  "You  are  so  fond  of  sparkling  things." 

Lavalle  was  a  little  irritated  at  this  uninten 
tional  thrust,  and  replied,  "Yes,  I  like  sparkle, 
whether  it  is  in  women,  wine  or  jewels." 

"Ah !  then  there  is  no  hope  for  poor  me,"  re 
joined  she,  quickly. 

"Yes,  there  is.  You  will  be  under  my  tuition 
in  every  way  a  brilliant  woman.  I  have  no  fear 
for  you.  But  go  and  put  on  the  rings,  Grace." 

"To-morrow ;  some  other  time  will  do." 

"The  rings,  the  rings,"  continued  Lavalle,  ner 
vously.  "Be  so  kind  as  to  instantly  favor  me 
with  the  sight  of  that  solitaire  for  which  I  paid 
a  fortune  to  a  Brazilian  merchant,  and  a  large 
sum  to  an  Amsterdam  lapidary  to  cut  and  polish. 
Come,  put  on  the  sparkler." 

"Ah!"  responded  Grace,  sadly.  "My  heart 
feels  little  for  jewels  in  these  times,"  and  then, 
with  a  smile,  "all  I  care  for  is  the  return  of  your 
love.  Why  should  I  be  concerned  about  any 
thing  else?" 

"I  thank  you,  darling;  but  just  bring  out  the 
jewels.  I  desire  to  look  at  all  of  them.  A  gen 
tleman  showed  me  a  solitaire  diamond  ring  which 
resembled  yours,  and  he  boasted  that  there  was 
no  stone  to  be  found  in  this  town  so  beautiful 
as  his.  I  thought  yours  equally  handsome  and 
told  him  so.  Come,  gratify  me,  and  let  me  see  if 
my  opinion  was  correct." 

"Oh,  let  the  jewels  one  and  all  rest  on  their 
velvet  beds,"  said  Grace  entreatingly,  and  she 
turned  pale,  so  pale. 

Lavalle  flushed.    This  hesitation  provoked  him 


THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT  279 

and  confirmed  his  horrible  suspicions.  "A 
truce,"  said  he,  "to  this  idle  folly.  Bring  the 
solitaire,  bring  all  the  diamonds.  I  wish  to  gaze 
upon  their  brilliant  light." 

"Well,  of  course,  if  you  insist  upon  it  I  shall 
get  them." 

"Yes,  I  do  insist."  replied  he,  with  some  irri 
tation  which  he  could  not  conceal. 

Grace  rose  and  with  a  quick,  elastic  step  pro 
ceeded  to  the  middle  of  the  room;  ah,  she  would 
get  the  diamonds ;  what  a  weight  from  Lavalle's 
heart.  She  was  innocent!  He  was  on  the  point 
of  crying  out,  "Come  back,  my  darling,"  when, 
with  a  sudden,  assumed  pettishness,  she  turned 
and  said,  "No,  I  will  not  bring  them  to  you  now ; 
it  will  spoil  you.  It  would  be  yielding  too  much 
to  grant  your  slightest  wish." 

"It  is  a  great  wish,  Grace.  It  is  of  vast  im 
portance  to  me,"  pleaded  Lavalle. 

"Submit  to  my  gentle  denial;  you  are  a  love, 
and  I  know  you  will.  There  is  nothing  of  the 
despot  about  you." 

Lavalle  was  far  too  discriminating  not  to  see 
through  this  shallow  device.  He  was  agitated 
and  indignant  almost  beyond  control.  This  girl, 
apparently  all  candor,  all  innocence,  all  good 
ness,  to  resort  to  such  cruel  deception  bewildered 
him.  She  not  only  did  wrong  and  told  a  false 
hood,  but  was  ready  with  twenty  more  plausible 
untruths  to  maintain  the  first  one. 

He  calmed  his  angry  passions  as  well  as  he 
could,  and  quietly  said,  "When  on  that  blessed 
day,  dear  Grace,  you  will  take  the  sacred  name 


280  THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT 

of  wife,  will  you  not  consent  to  love  and  obey 
me?" 

"I  shall,  William;  I  shall.  I  promise  you  when 
that  day  comes  to  obey  you  in  all  things,  but  not 
now.  I  must  not,"  and  the  blue  eyes  of  Grace 
were  like  lakes  in  their  tears. 

"Why  not  say  like  Vashti  unto  Ahasuerus,  'I 
must  not,  cannot,  shall  not.'  Mark  me,  Grace,  I 
can  punish,  too." 

"Oh,  I  cannot,"  said  Grace  in  a  broken  voice. 
"Have  mercy  and  do  not  press  this  mat 
ter." 

"I  say  I  must  see  them,"  vociferated  Lavalle, 
hoarse  with  anger  and  pain. 

"I  beseech  your  mercy  and  pity,"  and  Grace 
sank  on  her  knees  before  him. 

"Mercy,  you  piteously  cry!  What  mercy  are 
you  showing  me,  you  false  one?  You  are  tor 
turing  me  with  red  hot  irons,  searing  my  warm 
flesh.  Where  my  heart  is  not  bleeding  it  is 
crisping;  my  blood  feels  on  fire.  What  a  chem 
ist  you  are!  This  is  my  ultimatum — the  dia 
monds  or  my  eternal  hatred,"  and  Lavalle  sank 
into  a  chair  overcome  with  emotion.  At  this 
juncture  Mrs.  Feld,  who  was  in  the  adjoining 
room  and  overheard  most  of  the  conversation, 
came  in  with  a  pleasant  smile,  "My  dear  William, 


THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT        28oA 

so  happy  to  see  you.  I  hope  you  have  been  well. 
I  was  going  to  look  for  you  myself  if  you  had 
not  put  in  an  appearance  to-day." 

Lavalle  looked  angrily  at  her  and  bowed 
stiffly.  "Quite  well,  madam.  I  hope  you  will 
advise  your  daughter  to  see  things  in  their  proper 
light.  I  wish  to  see  her  jewels.  For  some  un 
known  reason,  she  will  not  grant  my  re 
quest." 

"Grace,  dear,  why  don't  you  please  Mr.  La 
valle?  Bring  the  jewels,  I  am  sure  they  belong 
to  him,"  said  Mrs.  Feld  frigidly. 

Grace,  bewildered,  not  knowing  what  to  do  or 
what  she  was  saying,  wrung  her  hands,  crying, 
"I  cannot." 

"Of  course  you  cannot,"  rejoined  Lavalle. 
"You  faithless  girl,  Arnold  wears  your  solitaire 
ring  on  his  finger.  I  should  not  wonder  but 
that  he  has  all  the  jewels  in  his  possession.  What 
frightful  demon  made  you  do  this  thing?  Con 
fess  you  gave  him  the  ring." 

Grace  went  up  to  Lavalle,  laid  her  hands  on 
his  shoulder,  and  said,  "Believe  me,  I  never  gave 
Arnold  any  ring  or  any  of  the  jewels,  but  dire 
misfortune  compelled  me  to  part  with  them." 

"Away  to  the  deepest  pit  of  Hades,"  and  La- 


28oB         THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT 

valle  maddened  at  what  he  heard,  comprehended 
nothing.  He  only  pictured  what  a  humiliated  ob 
ject  he  must  appear  in  Arnold's  eyes  and  wanted 
no  further  explanation.  "Away,  you  miserable 
girl,"  and  he  shook  her  off  violently  as  if  she 
were  an  asp. 

"Forgive  us,"  cried  Mrs.  Feld,  who  was  now 
thoroughly  frightened  at  the  man's  wrath.  "I 
brought  Grace  into  this  trouble.  At  least  forgive 
her,  she  only  did  what  I  told  her  to  do." 

"Forgiveness,  you  ask!  Give  me  back  my 
wounded  honor.  I  entrusted  her  with  that  and 
she  has  robbed  me  of  it.  I  swear  by  the  eternal 
God  that  I  herewith  cast  her  off  and  renounce 
her  forever,"  and  Lavalle  with  a  stride  of  a 
maniac,  left  the  room  without  once  turning 
round. 

With  a  low  cry  Grace  sank  in  a  swoon  into 
her  mother's  arms.  Mrs.  Feld  laid  her  tenderly 
on  the  sofa,  wrung  her  hands,  sobbed  bitterly 
and  said: 

"Henry,  what  have  we  done?  Heaven  help 
us."  She  chafed  her  daughter's  hands  and  brow 
and  applied  the  most  pungent  essences  to  her  nos 
trils.  It  was  long  ere  life  came  slowly  strug 
gling  back  and  then  she  fell  into  convul 
sions. 


THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT  281 

Lavalle  took  advantage  of  a  passing  steamer 
and  left  the  town.  "Grace,"  he  mentally  ex 
claimed,  "you  are  hideous  in  your  ingratitude; 
black  and  false  in  your  faith  and  in  your  Judas 
kiss.  You  say  you  have  not  given  the  diamonds 
to  Arnold,  but  parted  with  them !  How  could 
you — how  dare  you !  May  God  grant  that  the 
pangs  of  remorse  may  overtake  you  and  pursue 
you  through  life." 

Letitia  saw  Lavalle  from  her  w-indow  rushing 
by,  and  his  agitation  convinced  her  that  some 
thing  unusual  must  have  occurred.  She  had  no 
time  to  intercept  him,  as  he  had  turned  the  cor 
ner  ere  she  reached  the  gate.  "Aha!"  said  she, 
"Breakers  ahead,  now  for  my  sails  to  go  over 
the  rough  waters,  while  the  waves  engulf  the 
other  little  craft.  To-morrow  the  victory  may  be 
mine!"  Letitia  felt  all  the  confidence  in  herself 
that  her  words  implied.  To-morrow ! 


282  THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT 


CHAPTER   XXV. 

On  the  day  of  Lavalle's  departure  Mr.  Feld 
came  home  in  the  evening  somewhat  earlier  than 
usual.  The  quietness  that  pervaded  the  house, 
the  low  murmuring  of  the  domestics  as  they 
passed  to  and  fro,  struck  him  with  a  new  terror. 
Trouble  and  financial  difficulties  so  beset  him 
that  he  imagined  that  no  one  was  ever  tortured 
as  he.  This  silence  was  too  much  in  conformity 
with  his  own  melancholy  thoughts  to  be  agree 
able.  In  analogous  cases  contrasts  are  better 
than  accords,  as  in  discussions  opposition  is  more 
attractive  than  assent. 

"Ton  my  word,"  said  Mr.  Feld,  "I  don't 
know  what  is  the  meaning  of  this,"  and  he  ran 
upstairs  to  his  wife's  room.  "Confound  it,  where 
is  Ruth?  I  suppose  with  Grace.  I  declare,  I 
don't  like  to  see  that  poor  child  with  her  eyes 
full  of  tears,  but  I  will  have  to  go  after  Ruth." 
He  walked  along  the  hall  in  the  direction  of 
Grace's  apartment  when  a  figure  glided  out,  say 
ing:  "Hush!"  accompanied  by  a  warning  ges 
ture  of  admonition. 

"What  is  the  matter?"  said  Mr.  Feld  in  a 
frightened  tone. 

"Come  with  me  to  my  room,  Henry,"  said 
Mrs.  Feld,  drawing  his  arm  in  hers. 

"Now  come,  Ruth,  don't  keep  me  in  hot  water 
all  night." 


THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT  283 

"Oh,  Henry,"  she  cried,  "We  are  ruined." 

"We  have  been  expecting  that  for  a  good 
while,"  returned  Mr.  Feld,  grimly. 

"But  Lavalle  has  thrown  off  Grace,  and  is 
probably  already  out  of  town.  Did  any  steamer 
pass  to-day?" 

"Two,  not  one;  and  as  for  trains,  they  go 
every  day." 

"Then  he  is  gone,  I  know,  for  he  acted  like 
mad." 

"Why?" 

"The  jewels." 

"Did  you  not  explain  matters  to  him?  Why 
did  not  Grace  beg  him  to  forgive  her?"  de 
manded  Mr.  Feld,  sternly. 

"It  was  of  no  use  to  talk.  He  would  not  listen. 
He  thinks  Arnold  has  her  solitaire  ring;  that  he 
has  all  her  jewels.  He  has  not,  has  he?" 

"What  do  I  know?  How  can  I  know  any 
thing  about  these  things?"  rejoined  Mr.  Feld  in 
a  dazed  way. 

"Who  shall  know,  then?" 

"Ruth,  leave  me.  No,  no,  Ruth,  I  mean  stay 
with  me.  I  need  you  now.  Everything  turns 
from  me  but  you." 

"Why  should  I  leave  you?"  said  Mrs.  Feld, 
throwing  herself  into  her  husband's  arms.  "I 
am  your  wife." 

"True,  true  your  place  is  by  my  side  until  I 
die,  even  if  I  carrv  you  down,  down,  down?" 
asseverated  Mr.  Feld. 

"I  am  your  wife,"  reiterated  Mrs.  Feld.  "I 
will  always  be  your  wife." 

"I  am  worn  out,  Ruth ;  I  never  had  a  friend." 


284  THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT 

"Why  did  you  not  make  more  of  a  friend  of 
my  brother,  Joseph?  He  does  not  know  how  to 
make  money,  but  he  is  good,  kind  and  just." 

"I  never  liked  him,  but  I  have  always  treated 
him  well  because  he  is  your  brother.  He  has 
never  said  anything  to  me  about  my  habits,  but 
it  always  seemed  as  if  he  wanted  to,  and  it  wor 
ried  me.  We  are  both  restless  when  together. 
But  Grace,  poor  Grace." 

"If  I  could  only  live  over  that  night  again," 
groaned  Mr.  Feld,  "I  would  not  do  as  I  had 
done." 

"If  I  could  only  live  over  my  past  life," 
moaned  Mr.  Feld. 

"Don't  grieve  so." 

"Ah !  my  Ruth,  many  times  have  I,  who  should 
have  dried  your  tears,  made  you  cry  and  filled 
your  heart  with  bitterness.  Can  you  forgive 
me?" 

"You  have  always  been  tender  and  good.  You 
have  nothing  but  the  diamond  business  to  blame 
yourself  for." 

"But  that  is  everything.  It  comes  from 
my  drinking,  my  gambling,  from  my  own  mis 
erable  self.  You  can't  comfort  me.  I  am  more 
broken-hearted  than  our  captive  ancestors,  who 
hung  their  harps  on  the  willow  trees  of  Baby 
lon.  I  have  lost  everything.  Cry  on,  Ruth,  cry 
on,  it  will  do  you  good.  My  child,  my  child," 
and  this  man,  once  so  strong,  wept  in  his  agony. 
These  tears  were  wrung  from  his  heart  and 
should  have  been  as  red  as  blood. 

"I  must  see  Grace,"  said  Mr.  Feld,  suddenly. 


THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT  285 

"But  Grace  is  sick  and  you  had  better  wait 
until  morning." 

"No,  no.  I  must  see  her  now,  no  matter  how 
sick  she  is." 

"But  she  is  delirious  once  in  a  while.  Do 
wait,"  urged  Mrs.  Feld. 

"Don't  torment  me.  Get  up  and  come  along. 
How  horrible!  If  Grace  should  live  she  will 
curse  me;  if  she  should  die  God  will  do  so." 

"Don't  talk  so.  You  don't  know  our  gentle, 
patient,  loving  child.  She  will  not  say  anything 
you  will  not  like  to  hear." 

"Not  in  words,  but  her  eyes  will  follow 
me  everywhere.  They  will  seem  to  speak  and 
say,  'Give  me  back  my  love.'  Come,  I  say."  Mr. 
Feld's  stern,  authoritative  way  left  his  wife  no 
alternative  but  to  obey.  A  few  steps  brought 
them  into  the  chamber  of  their  darling  child. 

Grace  lay  on  her  bed  muttering  like  Enoch  Ar- 
den,  "Cast  away  and  lost."  A  deep  scarlet  flush 
was  on  each  cheek  and  her  eyes  had  dark  rings 
around  them.  One  hand  lay  over  the  counter 
pane,  its  whiteness  and  delicacy  enhanced  by 
the  ruffle  of  soft  lace  that  encircled  it.  Mr.  Feld 
took  hold  of  that  burning  hand  and  kissed  it. 
She  gazed  at  him  with  a  wild,  feverish  look,  and 
withdrew  it  with  a  shudder. 

"Grace,  darling,  don't  you  know  your  poor 
father?  Won't  you  speak  to  me?" 

"Is  it  you,  dear  William?  Thank  God  you  are 
back  again,  I  will  tell  you  the  secret.  Hark!  let 
no  one  hear.  Come  closer.  I  pledged  the  jewels 
to  save  my  father's  honor.  Do  not  tell  Arnold. 
He  would  take  me  from  you.  Do  you  know  I 


286  THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT 

have  prayed  incessantly  for  you  to  come  back 
and  God  has  answered  my  prayer.  William,  if 
you  had  not  come  back  to  me  I  know  I  should 
have  died.  You  have  saved  me,"  and  she  clung 
to  Mr.  Feld,  at  the  same  time  expressing  her  af 
fection  for  Lavalle  in  the  most  endearing  terms. 

"Grace,  child,  it  is  your  father,  who  loves  you 
more  than  life.  Look  at  me.  You  know  me, 
dear,  don't  you?" 

"Of  course  I  know  my  father,  who  induced  me 
to  do  an  unworthy  and  base  action,  but  he  is  not 
here  now.  You  cannot  deceive  me,"  and  she 
spoke  with  all  the  cunning  and  positive  knowing 
of  the  sick. 

"Henry,"  said  Mrs.  Feld  in  a  low  voice,  "you 
must  leave  the  room.  This  excitement  does  her 
harm  and  she  needs  quiet.  After  she  has  had  a 
good  sleep,  which  I  think  she  will  have  to-night, 
you  can  come  to  see  her.  She  does  not  know 
what  she  is  saying  now.  I  will  stay  with  her." 

Mr.  Feld  left  the  room  with  a  quick  step.  All 
his  hopes  of  future  happiness  were  now  com 
pletely  dead.  From  no  star  in  the  firmament  did 
one  friendly  ray  of  light  beam  for  him.  Dark 
ness  surrounded  him  and  out  of  it  rose  men 
acing  phantoms  to  drive  him  to  despair. 


THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT  287 


CHAPTER    XXVI. 

"Good-morning,  Mr.  Everard,"  said  Mr.  Feld, 
walking  into  the  lawyer's  office  and  taking  off 
his  hat. 

"Glad  to  see  you.  Have  not  seen  you  for 
some  time,"  answered  Everard,  a  little  nerv 
ously. 

"My  business  keeps  me  tied  down;  it  is  almost 
as  bad  as  love-making.  It  tires  one  to  talk  over 
the  same  words  without  any  sense  fifty  times  a 
day.  Love  made  Lavalle  have  a  bad  headache, 
so  he  has  gone  down  the  river  for  a  few  days. 
Only  for  the  benefit  of  his  health,  you  know," 
said  Mr.  Feld,  sharply. 

"I  hope  so." 

"What  do  you  mean  by  that  ?" 

"Mr.  Feld,  I  heard  that  Mr.  Lavalle  left  yes 
terday  on  the  steamer." 

"What  else  do  the  good  people  say?" 

"That  he  left,  never  to  return,"  said  Everard, 
candidly. 

"It's  a  lie ;  I  say  so,"  said  Feld,  excitedly. 

"You  know  best.  Reports  generally  grow  in 
many  ways.  So  pay  no  attention  to  them." 

"You  are  right,  Everard.  You  may  come 
around  to  my  office  to-morrow  on  business.  I 
am  going  to  take  a  short  trip  and  when  I  am 
gone  if  anything  should  require  a  lawyer,  I  want 
you  to  be  engaged." 


288  THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT 

"Well,  Mr.  Feld,  I  do  not  attend  to  much  com 
mercial  business  unless  it  is  for  a  friend." 

"Do  you  think  I  stand  like  your  friend  Berk- 
hoff?  His  creditors  are  here.  He  has  failed." 

"I  do  not  know  anything  about  your  affairs." 

"Very  well;  I  tell  you,  if  I  was  in  BerkhofFs 
situation  I  would  kill  myself.  I  would  not  let 
the  world  have  the  pleasure  of  gloating  over  my 
misfortunes." 

"But  that  would  be  cowardly.  That  instinct, 
that  fear,  that  natural  law  of  self-preservation, 
which  manifests  itself  in  the  highest  and  lowest 
creation,  causes  one  to  reflect  whether  it  is  pos 
sible  for  anyone  to  commit  suicide  without  being 
temporarily  insane." 

"I  think  that's  the  point  of  view  from  which 
the  happy  and  prosperous  look  at  it,  but  I  tell 
you,  man,  it  takes  courage  to  face  death  volun 
tarily." 

"I  think  this  way:  If  a  man  is  alone  he  should 
be  strong  enough  to  battle  with  troubles ;  it 
would  be  unmanly  and  sheer  feebleness  for  him 
to  yield  to  despair.  And  if  a  man  have  dear  and 
loving  ties  to  bind  him  to  this  world  and  he 
should  commit  suicide  and  leave  them  to  strug 
gle  with  the  trials  of  life  which  he  dare  not 
face,  it  is  cowardly  in  the  extreme." 

"You  forget  that  people  pity  a  dead  man,  but 
trample  on  a  fallen  one,  and  his  family,  too." 

"A  man  should  live  if  God  is  willing  and  en 
deavor  to  retrieve  his  fallen  fortune  and  lift  up 
his  family.  That  should  be  his  aim.  Enough, 
too,  in  my  estimation,  to  incite  any  man  to  be 
courageous  and  live.  What  does  such  a  one 


THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT  289 

gain  by  rushing  into  death,,  that  deep,  dark, 
mysterious  unknown  state  of  which  no  one  who 
is  or  ever  will  be  born  can  say  it  will  be  thus  and 
thus.  Perhaps  the  veil  is  wisely  drawn  over  it. 
This  darkness  is  the  great  cataract  of  the  world's 
vision,  and  no  mortal  oculist  can  remove  it." 

"That's  very  fine  talk,  Everard,  but  it  don't 
make  troubles  any  lighter  to  bear.  It  seems  to 
me  I  heard  a  man  say  once  that  those  wise  men 
of  early  times  thought  it  honorable  to  kill  one's 
self." 

"Yes,  some  of  them  did.  In  some  instances 
self-immolation  was  a  part  of  their  religion. 
Sutteeism,  in  India,  which  was  abolished  by  the 
British  Government,  was  a  religious  ordinance. 
The  prevailing  opinion  among  the  philosophers 
of  antiquity  was  that  suicide  was  justifiable  in 
these  three  cases :  First,  it  was  practiced  by  those 
who  wished  to  avoid  pain  and  personal  suffering 
of  body  and  mind;  secondly,  when  a  person  con 
sidered  the  act  as  a  necessary  vindication  of  his 
honor,  and  thirdly,  when  life  was  sacrificed  as  an 
example  to  others,  and " 

"They  were  wise,  then,"  interrupted  Mr.  Feld. 
"Death  wipes  out  everything." 

"Wait  a  moment,  my  friend,  and  I  shall  show 
you  what  they  thought  was  not  always  right. 
Well,  for  instance,  if  a  person  is  afflicted  with 
an  incurable  disease  and  suffers  unceasing  tor 
ture,  with  the  prospect  of  long,  dreary  years 
before  him,  do  you  think  it  requires  any  courage 
to  terminate  his  miserable  earthly  existence,  to 
renew  it  elsewhere  in  bliss  or  to  reach  total  an 
nihilation,  as  his  belief  may  be?" 


290  THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT 

"I  think  it  requires  nerve,"  said  Feld  decidedly. 

"Well,  I  do  not.  Felo  de  se  in  such  an  in 
stance  only  exhibits  the  most  abject  cowardice; 
an  absolute  want  of  belief  in  God  and  immor 
tality." 

"What  are  you  going  to  do  with  the  man  who 
does  not  believe  in  another  life?  You  see  he  is 
not  afraid  of  punishment." 

"There  still  remains  the  moral  obligation  he 
owes  to  the  Author  of  his  being  to  leave  to  Him 
the  termination  of  that  existence.  Flavius  Jo- 
sephus,  the  Jewish  historian,  says:  'Self-murder 
is  a  crime  most  remote  from  the  common  nature 
of  all  animals  and  an  instance  of  impiety  against 
our  Creator/  "  continued  Everard. 

"I  don't  care  about  all  that.  I  want  to  know 
what  they  did  when  they  lost  their  honor.  That 
is  another  question.  Ans\ver  that." 

"I  shall,"  smiled  Everard.  "Cato  comes  down 
to  us  with  a  great  and  unsullied  reputation,  but 
would  he  have  been  less  admired  and  revered 
had  he  waited  for  the  operation  of  nature  and 
not  killed  himself?" 

"I  don't  know  anything  about  the  man.  Just 
tell  me  for  wrhat  he  killed  himself?" 

"Wounded  pride  forbade  him  to  live  and  wit 
ness  Caesar's  (another  great  man)  triumph  and 
probably  be  the  recipient  of  his  favors.  Had 
Cato  lived  until  God  had  called  him,  and  his 
noble  life  been  impervious  to  trials  and  suffer 
ings  which  bend  and  warp  the  minds  of  ordinary 
men,  he  would  have  been  an  illustration  of  virtue, 
goodness  and  resignation  for  unborn  millions." 

"Was  he  a  very  wise  man?" 


THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT  291 

"To  be  sure  he  was.  He  was  a  great  states 
man  and  philosopher." 

"See  here,  don't  tell  that  story  to  another  man ; 
he  might  go  right  off  and  kill  himself.  What 
better  can  a  man  do  than  follow  the  example  of 
the  wise  and  great?  Ha!  my  friend,  you  are 
caught.  Speak  on." 

"I  am  not  caught,"  returned  Everard,  coloring. 
"It  shows  that  the  actions  of  the  great  and  re 
nowned  are  contagions ;  therefore,  such  men  arc 
more  culpable  than  the  ignorant." 

"But  all  are  not  great." 

"Yes,  we  are,  in  a  measure.  I  consider  myself 
greater  than  some,  so  do  you.  It  takes  a  long 
while  to  reach  the  lowest  scale  of  humanity.  So 
we  are  all  held  up  as  models  by  some  others." 

"That  may  be  true,  but  great  men  when  they 
fall  come  down  from  such  a  height  that  they 
can't  stand  it  at  all.  They  give  up  immedi 
ately." 

"In  many  cases  the  greatness  is  only  imagi 
nary.  Have  you  heard  of  Napoleon  Bonaparte?" 

"Yes,  the  man  who  took  away  the  liberties  and 
gave  liberties  to  the  people  of  France,"  said 
Feld. 

"You  may  be  right  there.  I  do  not  mean  that. 
I  refer  to  his  power  of  enduring  troubles." 

"I  can't  see  what  he  had  to  suffer.  Every  day 
people  have  more  trouble,"  said  Feld  angrily. 

"And  I  tell  you  there  are  numbers  of  heroes 
and  heroines  in  all  walks  of  life,  but  especially 
among  the  poor  and  lowly." 

"Well,  then,  what  do  you  want  to  do  with 
Bonaparte  ?" 


292  THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT 

"Think  of  him.  When  hurled  from  the  zenith 
of  glory  to  the  nadir  of  despair — whose  great 
power  built  up  an  empire,  created  marshals, 
made  and  unmade  kings — a  captive  in  the  hands 
of  his  most  bitter  rival  and  enemy,  England; 
great,  powerful  England,  who,  in  the  person  of 
her  officers  stooped  to  vex  and  irritate  the 
mighty  spirit  of  the  fallen  potentate,  did  he  kill 
himself?" 

"Well,  what  of  it?" 

"He  was  a  hero  and  an  emperor  by  his  own 
unrivalled  genius.  He  exhibited  to  the  world  the 
grandeur  of  his  soul,  submitting  and  enduring 
such  petty  ills  as  must  have  sadly  and  woefully 
torn  his  mighty  heart.  Think  of  him  as  one  will, 
a  mighty  conqueror,  a  stern,  resolute,  relentless 
man,  trampling  on  nations  and  individuals,  sacri 
ficing  their  best  blood  to  his  inordinate  love  of 
power,  or  as  the  cruel  husband,  tearing  from  his 
heart  the  noble  and  sweet  Josephine,  all  in  a 
kind  of  mad  fury  to  gratify  his  unsatiable  am 
bition  ;  view  him  immeasurably  high  or  inimitably 
cruel  and  grasping,  he  certainly  was  great,  be 
cause  he  resisted  suicide." 

"You  are  a  lawyer  and  make  things  appear 
just  as  you  want  them." 

"But  truths  are  truths.  That  man2  who  when 
the  elements  of  nature  and  the  resources  of  man 
kind  are  combined  against  him,  can  calmly  fold 
his  hands,  bow  his  head  and  say:  'Thy  will  be 
done,'  he  is  the  greatest  of  all  heroes." 

"Everard,"  said  Berkhoff,  rushing  in  without 
ceremony,  "I  want  you.  Come  over  to  my  store 
this  instant;  please  do." 


THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT  293 

Mr.  Feld  took  his  hat  and  walked  home.  He 
never  raised  his  head  until  he  found  himself  in 
his  bedroom.  "Ruth  is  not  here,"  muttered  he. 
"She  is  with  Grace,  then.  I  am  weak.  I  have 
no  strength,  otherwise  a  little  powder  and  a  ball 
would  send  my  soul  probably  to  rest  or  possibly 
to  misery,  what  then?  My  family  will  be  saved 
from  disgrace.  I  am  a  ruined  man  every  way — 
in  business,  in  honor,  my  child's  happiness  gone 
— there  is  nothing  left  me  but  to  die.  Let  me  be 
brave  and  do  my  work.  My  whole  life  is  now 
passing  before  me.  Horrors !  tne  ugly  hours 
stay  the  longest  and  seem  plainer  than  the  others. 
This  won't  do.  I  must  take  some  brandy  to 
steady  my  nerves,"  and  he  went  to  the  closet 
wherein  he  had  concealed  a  bottle  of  liquor  and 
drank  from  it  a  goodly  portion.  He  then  fum 
bled  in  his  pocket,  took  out  a  pencil,  tore  a  piece 
of  paper  from  his  memorandum  book  and  wrote 
the  following  lines: 

Dear  Ruth : 

Tired  and  heart-broken  I  am  going  to  take 
my  own  life.  I  give  it  cheerfully,  knowing  that 
it  is  for  the  good  of  you  and  my  dear,  dutiful 
daughter.  It  is  the  only  offering  I  can  make 
you,  my  dear  wife,  for  your  long  years  of  suf 
fering  and  love.  When  Grace  is  well,  smooth 
over  to  her  my  faults,  grave  as  they  have  been. 
The  world  will  drop  a  tear  of  pity  on  the  sui 
cide's  grave ;  there  is  no  pity  for  the  man  who 
lives  and  has  disgraced  his  family.  In  thought 
I  give  you  and  Grace  one  last  parting  kiss_  I 


294  THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT 

write  with  tears.     Oh,  how  bitter  to  write  thus. 
Good-bye.  Your 

HENRY. 

Mr.  Feld  laid  the  note  on  the  table,  took  more 
brandy  and  as  he  drank  it  said:  "My  life  long 
enemy  is  at  last  my  friend."  He  took  out  of 
his  pocket  a  pistol,  examined  it  minutely,  care 
fully  cocked  it,  turned  it  towards  himself  and 
pulled  the  fatal  trigger.  Though  he  never  studied 
anatomy,  his  aim  was  good,  the  ball  piercing  his 
heart. 

"Great  heaven!  what  was  that?"  cried  Mrs. 
Feld,  as  the  report  sounded  through  the  sick 
room,  causing  Grace  to  start  up  in  her  bed,  pale 
and  frightened,  gaze  around  in  a  bewildered  way 
and  sink  back  half  fainting  on  her  pillow. 

"Here,  get  out  of  my  way,"  screamed  Mrs. 
Feld  frantically  to  the  affrighted  servants  who, 
startled  by  the  reverberation,  came  running  into 
the  hall. 

"Hannah,  Hannah!"  cried  Mrs.  Feld  to  one 
of  the  domestics,  "open  this  door,  I  cannot.  It 
must  be  locked,"  and  she  stood  helplessly  wring 
ing  her  hands. 

"It  is  not  locked,"  said  Hannah,  as  the  door 
opened  easily.  "I  had  better  go  in  with  you." 

"Hannah,  my  husband !"  There  lay  Mr.  Feld 
on  the  floor,  the  pistol  by  his  side.  His  brow 
was  placid,  his  mouth  almost  smiling;  for  the 
idea  that  the  deed  he  was  going  to  do  was  for  the 
benefit  of  his  wife  and  child  cheered  him  on  his 
dreary  way. 

Hannah   went   to   the   door   and   said   to   the 


THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT  295 

other  domestics:  "One  of  you  run  for  a  physi 
cian  and  another  for  Mr.  Rheinberg,"  then  she 
quietly  closed  the  door  and  went  back  to  Mrs. 
Feld. 

"He  is  cold,  icy  cold,"  said  Mrs.  Feld  shud- 
deringly.  "This  touch  chills  me  to  the  marrow. 
See  his  precious  blood,"  she  cried,  as  she  tore 
open  his  vest.  "Hannah,  Hannah,  I  am  sink 
ing,"  and  she  sank  down  insensible  by  his  side. 

"Here  is  a  note  on  the  table,"  said  Hannah.  "I 
will  put  that  in  my  pocket.  I  have  not  been  liv 
ing  in  this  family  ever  since  they  came  to  this 
town  for  nothing.  If  madam  gets  well  she  shall 
have  it,  if  not  I  will  read  it  first  and  if  no  harm 
is  in  it  I  will  give  it  to  Miss  Grace.  It  can't 
be  anything  good  in  it,  otherwise  he  would  not 
have  shot  himself.  I  guess  I  will  call  some  of 
them  to  help  me  as  long  as  this  strong  camphor 
that  I  am  rubbing  her  with  so  hard  don't  do  her 
any  good." 

"Hannah,  what  are  you  doing;  what  is  the 
matter?"  said  Mr.  Rheinberg,  coming  in,  fol 
lowed  by  his  wife  and  daughter. 

"Terrible,  terrible,"  returned  Hannah.  "Come 
help  me  to  carry  Mrs.  Feld  to  another  room." 

With  the  aid  of  Mrs.  Rheinberg  and  Letitia, 
who  were  ready  to  act  the  part  of  good  Samari 
tans,  she  was  quickly  removed  and  placed  on  a 
bed. 

"He  is  dead,"  said  Dr.  Harriot,  on  entering 
the  room  and  glancing  at  Mr.  Feld,  "still  I  shall 
examine  him  carefully.  Let  us  move  him  to  the 
bed.  It  is  useless  to  search  for  the  ball,  as  his 


296  THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT 

heart  has  ceased  to  beat.  I  suppose  there  will 
have  to  be  an  inquest." 

"Can't  he  be  buried  without  it?  It  jars  on  my 
nerves;  pains  me  to  think  of  it,"  answered  Mr. 
Rheinberg. 

"I  think  not.  Poor  unfortunate  man.  What 
could  have  induced  him  to  commit  such  a  fright 
ful  deed?" 

"Business  troubles,  I  think.  My  poor  sister. 
Come  into  the  other  room,  Doctor,  and  see  her." 

"Dr.  Harriot,"  exclaimed  Mrs.  Rheinberg  ex 
citedly,  "is  my  poor  sister-in-law  dead?  She 
does  not  seem  to  breathe." 

"Her  pulse  is  fluttering  feebly,"  said  the  physi 
cian,  upon  examination.  "We  must  now  do  our 
best  to  fan  back  the  spark  of  life.  Here,  rub  her 
vigorously  while  I  shall  give  her  a  few  drops  of 
this  elixir,"  said  he,  taking  a  small  vial  out  of 
his  pocket.  "Right,  girl,  to  have  the  spoon 
ready,"  as  Hannah  handed  it  to  him  and  moved 
aside. 

"Lift  her  head,  Clara,"  said  Mr.  Rheinberg. 

"Now,"  said  the  doctor,  "I  think  she  will  be 
better  for  this  medicine,  though  this  shock  must 
have  been  dreadful.  I  have  treated  her  before 
for  heart  disease." 

"She  never,  to  my  knowledge,  told  any  one 
about  such  a  complaint,"  returned  Mr.  Rhein 
berg. 

"She  forbade  me  mentioning  it,"  added  the 
physician,  "as  she  did  not  wish  to  alarm  her 
family." 

"Poor     Ruth,"     exclaimed     Mr.     Rheinberg 


THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT  297 

mournfully,  "our  poor  father  was  taken  off  with 
that." 

"Hereditary,  you  see.  Quiet  now,  she  moves," 
said  the  doctor. 

Mrs.  Feld  opened  her  eyes,  put  her  hands  to 
her  head  as  if  to  compose  and  collect  her 
thoughts,  when  she  gave  a  fearful  shriek  and 
endeavored  to  jump  from  the  bed.  The  tragedy, 
with  all  its  ghastliness  and  horror,  came  flash 
ing  upon  her  mind.  "My  dear  husband,  my  good 
husband,"  she  cried.  His  faults  were  all  strewn 
to  the  winds.  "He  who  loved  me  and  made  my 
path  one  of  roses,  is  dead.  Not  waiting  for  his 
Maker  to  call  him,  but  taking  his  life  in  his  own 
hands,  he  has  gone  into  the  presence  of  the  great 
God.  Oh,  how  wretched  he  must  have  been  to 
do  the  fearful  thing,  and  tear  from  his  heart  the 
last  little  seed  of  his  religion." 

"Are  you  in  pain,  Mrs.  Feld?"  said  the  physi 
cian  kindly,  as  she  put  her  hand  to  her  heart  and 
contracted  her  brows. 

"Yes,   my  heart   is   cramped    with    the    most 
frightful  pain.     I  cannot  breathe.  Oh,  I  am — 
and  she  relapsed  into  unconsciousness. 

"I  am  afraid  she  will  soon  pass  away.  She 
will  never  wake  up  in  this  life,"  said  the  doctor. 

"I  wonder,"  whispered  Mrs.  Rheinberg  to  her 
husband,  "why  Lavalle  left  town.  Didn't  you 
come  here  this  morning  before  you  went  to  the 
store?" 

"Yes,  I  did,  but  couldn't  find  out  a  thing. 
Ruth  only  looked  and  talked  as  if  she  were  mis 
erable.  My  poor  sister,  it  seems  as  if  only  the 
other  day  you  came  from  Germany  with  bright 


298  THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT 

cheeks  and  brighter  hopes !"  groaned  Mr.  Rhein- 
berg. 

"Cease  grieving,"  said  Dr.  Harriot  sympa 
thetically  to  Mr.  Rheinberg,  "your  sister  is  at 
rest." 

"You  do  not,  cannot  mean "  stammered 

Mr.  Rheinberg. 

"I  mean  that  all  is  over.     Death  is  inevitable." 

"Oh,  my  poor  cousin,  my  dear  Grace," 
screamed  Letitia,  "how  my  heart  bleeds  for 
you." 

"You  must  be  more  composed,  Miss  Letitia," 
said  the  doctor  quietly. 

"I  love  her  like  a  sister." 

"To  be  sure  you  do,  my  good  girl.  I  have 
known  Grace  from  a  child.  No  better,  kinder- 
hearted  girl  in  town  than  she  is.  She  requires, 
too,  all  the  love  you  can  give  her.  I  shall  go  and 
see  if  she  is  improving.  Poor  girl,  poor  girl," 
said  the  physician  sadly. 


THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT  299 


CHAPTER   XXVII. 

"Who  would  have  thought,"  said  Berkhoff  to 
Everard  as  the  latter  entered  his  office,  "that 
Feld  would  kill  himself?  I  was  never  more  sur 
prised  in  all  my  life." 

"I  was  not.  When  you  called  on  me  day  before 
yesterday  he  was  in  my  office,  you  know,  and 
while  I  was  with  him  he  talked  of  nothing  but 
suicide.  If  you  had  not  come  for  me  I  should 
have  gone  up  to  his  house  and  delicately  warned 
his  wife.  Lavalle's  leaving,  I  think,  affected  him 
deeply." 

"And  his  affairs  are  as  bad  as  mine,  I  fear." 

"Yes,  that  may  be.  He  wanted  me  to  take 
hold,  though  he  denied  that  he  was  not  per 
fectly  solvent.  But  I  told  him  I  did  not  care  to 
meddle  with  his  mercantile  affairs,  poor  man." 

"I  hear  the  two  bodies  will  be  sent  on  to  St. 
Louis  to-day,  to  be  buried  in  the  Jewish  ceme 
tery  there." 

"Yes,  they  will  be  laid  side  by  side.  I  have 
just  come  from  the  house.  Dead,  dead,  man  and 
wife." 

"Didn't  the  newspapers  come  out  heavy  on 
Feld  this  morning?  They  didn't  spare  him  be 
cause  he  was  a  Jew,  did  they?" 

"No,  I  believe  not,"  said  Everard,  coloring, 
"they  spare  neither  the  dead  nor  the  living." 


300  THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT 

"They  have  had  a  peg  at  me,  too,  but  I  don't 
care  a  fig  for  that.  Heavens,  I  am  ruined,"  and 
Berkhoff's  face  darkened. 

"Well,"  returned  Everard,  smiling,  "are  you 
ruined  again?  Your  creditors  have  been  very 
lenient,  accepted  twenty-five  cents  on  the  dol 
lar." 

"With  a  verbal  agreement  that  I  shall  pay  the 
balance  when  I  can  and,  by  heaven !  I  mean  to  do 
it.  Those  men  shall  be  paid  dollar  for  dollar  if 
I  starve  for  it.  I  shall  be  called  close  and  stingy 
now,  but  it  can't  be  helped,"  said  Berkhoff  ex 
citedly. 

"But  never  mean." 

"You  always  have  a  good  word  for  me." 

"And  do  you  not  deserve  it,  Berkhoff?  By 
your  interest  in  the  Nile's  case  my  reputation  was 
established.  I  am  a  rising  man.  I  can  already 
select  my  work,"  and  he  grasped  Berkhoff's  hand 
warmly. 

"You  owe  me  nothing.  You  are  great  through 
your  own  work." 

"Yes,  I  am  in  your  debt.  But  tell  me  from 
what  quarters  does  danger  threaten  you  now?" 

"My  Rebecca,"  groaned  Berkhoff.  "She  has 
not  been  feeling  well  and  I  had  to  let  a  day  pass 
without  seeing  her  on  account  of  my  trouble. 
Well,  yesterday  I  went  there  and  Mrs.  Silver- 
Ibaum  told  me  Rebecca  was  asleep,  that  she 
thought  it  would  do  her  good.  So  did  I.  I  told 
her  not  to  wake  her  for  the  world.  That  remark 
in  the  paper,  when  I  think  of  it,  frightens  me. 
Rebecca  is  so  sensitive,  so  easily  hurt.  If  she 
should  see  it  I  dread  to  think  how  she  may  feel. 


THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT  301 

And  I  am  afraid  that  she  wasn't  asleep  that  day. 
Bad  news  travels  fast — runs  like  wildfire." 

"My  dear  friend,  you  nearly  quoted  Milton. 
In  small  places  there  are  many  to  gossip  and 
few  to  think.  I  hope  that  Rebecca  will  cling  to 
you  through  all  reverses;  you  would  to  her  I 
am  sure,"  said  Everard  indignantly. 

"Nothing  can  happen  to  her  so  that  I  can  show 
my  love.  She  don't  bring  no  money,  so  she 
can't  lose  it." 

"Yes,  something  could  happen,"  rejoined  Ever 
ard  laughing,  "she  could  lose  an  eye,  a  limb,  or 
have  the  small-pox  and  look  hideous.  Are  you 
not  frightened?" 

"No,"  returned  Berkhoff  stoutly.  "I  only  wish 
she  would  have  the  small-pox  and  be  all  pitted 
and  marked,  so  I  could  take  her  in  my  arms 
and  tell  her  I  love  her  in  spite  of  everything." 

"Bravo,  bravo.  Ah !  this  love  which  takes 
hold  of  us  makes  us  forget  everything.  We  see 
nothing  but  that  we  want  to  reach  our  heaven." 

"Exactly,"  said  Berkhoff  approvingly. 

"Berkhoff,  take  a  walk  and  see  Rebecca.  You 
will  be  better  able  to  attend  to  business  when  you 
come  back." 

"You  are  right.  There  is  no  work  in  me 
now." 

"Everard,"  said  Berkhoff,  rushing  into  the  law 
yer's  office  an  hour  afterwards,  "what  do  you 
think,  Rebecca  won't  see  me.  Mrs.  Silverbaum 
cold  as  ice." 

"What  did  she  say?"  returned  Everard  with  a 
start. 

"She  said  Rebecca  was  quite  ill  from  the  shock, 


302  THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT 

and  that  I  should  have  to  wait  until  she  was  able 
to  see  me.  What  shall  I  do  about  it?" 

"Do  you  know  what  I  should  do  if  I  were 
you?"  rejoined  Everard  cautiously. 

"Tell  me  quickly." 

"Leave  her  alone.  Don't  go  near  her.  Break 
the  engagement.  It  is  you  who  deserve  pity,  not 
she." 

"I  can't  leave  her.  I  can't  live  without  her.  I 
want  to  know  that  when  I  am  through  working 
I  can  find  rest.  There  is  a  burning  fire  within 
me.  Oh,  if  I  was  only  you." 

"And  if  you  were  what  would  you  do,  my 
friend?"  said  Everard  kindly. 

"I  would  see  her  some  way,  fill  her  ear  with 
fine  speeches,  that  would  bring  her  around. 
Everard,  you  can  do  a  great  deal  for  me,"  said 
Berkhoff,  wistfully. 

"In  what  manner?" 

"By  going  to  see  Mrs.  Silverbaum  and  Re 
becca  and  talking  to  them.  You  think  more  of 
me  than  anybody  else  and  what  you  would  say 
would  carry  more  weight,  because  they  think 
highly  of  you  at  the  house." 

"You  do  not  know  what  you  are  asking." 

"  'Pon  my  word  I  do.  You  are  the  man  who 
can  do  it,  because  it  is  a  delicate  matter,  and  you 
are  a  friend.  At  least  you  say  you  are." 

"It  requires  tact  and,  what  is  still  more,  cour 
age,  to  intrude  upon  two  women  and  persuade 
them  to  act  contrary  to  their  wishes.  But  I  told 
you  once  if  you  needed  a  friend  you  could  rely 
upon  me,  and  I  shall  be  as  good  as  my  word," 
replied  Everard  determinedly. 


THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT  303 

"You  give  me  life.  Will  you  go  right  away, 
this  minute,"  said  Berkhoff  eagerly. 

"No,  not  now.  First,  it  would  appear  to  them 
as  if  you  had  made  such  an  appeal  to  me;  and, 
secondly,  Mr.  Rheinberg  was  just  here  and  en 
treated  me  to  examine  Feld's  books.  His  cred 
itors  are  here  and  Rheinberg  represents  things 
in  a  deplorable  state.  I  did  not  wish  to  touch 
the  matter,  but  he  pleaded  so  hard  on  account 
of  his  sick,  bereaved,  deserted  niece  that  I  could 
not  refuse.  If  we  care  ever  so  little  for  Judaism 
not  you,  but  men  like  me,  the  happiness  or  misery 
of  our  people  always  interests  us." 

"Poor  girl,  what  a  miserable  future  is  hers ! 
You  will  do  your  best.  Those  creditors  will 
have  no  mercy." 

"Indeed  they  will  not.  They  are  coming,  or 
rather  they  are  here  for  their  own  and  most  prob 
ably  will  not  get  much  out  of  the  wreck.  Losses 
do  not  soften  people's  hearts." 

"You  are  right.  They  are  not  to  blame.  I 
was  thinking  of  that  poor  girl  left  by  her  lover. 
My  heart  goes  out  to  everybody  who  loves  and 
is  not  loved  in  return." 

"Such  people  deserve  sympathy,"  answered 
Everard  mournfully.  "Leave  now,  and  late  this 
evening  or  in  the  morning  you  shall  hear  from 
me." 

"Glad  to  see  you  in,  my  dear  Mrs.  Silver- 
baum,"  said  Everard,  as  that  lady  opened  the 
door  for  him. 

"Oh,  Mr.  Everard,  is  it  you?  Walk  in,  take  a 
seat.  Rebecca,"  called  out  Mrs.  Silverbaum,  "a 


304  THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT 

gentleman  wishes  to  see  you.  Very  hot  to 
night." 

"Plague  take  her  haste  in  calling  that  girl.  I 
must  hurry,"  mentally  exclaimed  Everard.  "It 
is  intensely  warm,"  said  he  aloud.  "My  dear 
Mrs.  Silverbaum,  I  am  sorry  your  daughter  has 
been  indisposed,  but  glad  she  is  better  and  able 
to  see  me." 

"The  spells  they  come  on  at  times,  Mr.  Ever 
ard.  My  darling  Rebecca  she  suffers  ever  so 
much." 

"Physical  pain,  eh?" 

"What  do  you  mean  by  that?" 

"I  mean  has  she  pains  anywhere,  her  heart  for 
instance  ?" 

"Yes,  it  is  of  the  heart.    Too  many  dying." 

"True,  'times  are  sadly  out  of  joint.'  I  hope 
they  will  soon  be  better,  my  dear  madam." 

"My  Rebecca,  she  suffers  more,  the  losses,  the 
ruin,  everybody  broke.  I  wish  she  wouldn't  have 
so  much  heart." 

"My  dear  Mrs.  Silverbaum,  that  article  is  rare 
in  the  world.  I  pray  heaven  it  will  not  grow 
still  less." 

"Less,  you  say?  You  are  always  too  good  to 
everybody.  You  make  too  many  excuses." 

"To  tell  you  the  truth,  my  dear  Mrs.  Silver 
baum,  I  cannot  make  too  many  excuses  for  one 
person,  and  that  is  my  friend,  Berkhoff." 

"Berkhoff  is  one  good  man,  but  he  cannot  live 
from  that.  He  lost  his  money  and  pays  no 
body." 

"Yes,  that  honest  man  has  lost  his  money;  he 


THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT  305 

pays  his  creditors  a  certain  portion  now,  but 
they  will  receive  the  full  amount  eventually." 

''And  my  Rebecca  stay  engaged  some  two, 
three,  five  years !  No,  you  are  much  mistaken." 

"Berkhoff  is  more  than  willing  to  marry  her 
immediately." 

"Oh,  it  is  no  match  for  my  Rebecca.  She  is 
too  young  for  him." 

"But,  my  dear  Mrs.  Silverbaum,  you  were  will 
ing  your  daughter  should  marry  him  a  week 
ago.  He  has  not  grown  so  much  older  in  that 
short  time." 

"Good-evening,"  said  Rebecca,  coming  in. 

"I  am  glad  to  see  you  looking  so  well,  Miss 
Silverbaum.  I  was  alarmed  this  morning  when 
Mr.  Berkhoff  told  me  you  were  too  indisposed  to 
receive  him." 

"I  had  a  nervous  headache  and  wouldn't  have 
received  the  President,"  returned  Rebecca 
haughtily. 

"Quite  right,  Miss  Rebecca,  but  if  you  will 
receive  Berkhoff,  he  will  be  here  in  half  an 
hour." 

"Pray  don't  trouble  yourself,  Mr.  Everard. 
You  must  not  take  too  much  exercise  in  warm 
days." 

"Miss  Rebecca,  let  me  tell  you  candidly,  that 
not  alone  in  the  eyes  of  the  people,  but  in  the 
eyes  of  the  law  a  girl  should  receive  her  intended 
husband  before  another  man." 

"I  am  not  sick  now ;  I  was  this  morning." 

"Well,  do  you  think  Berkhoff  may  venture  to 
come  to  see  you  to-morrow?" 

"I  can't  tell  what  I  shall  do  to-morrow  or  any 


306  THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT 

other  time.  'We  are  the  creatures  of  citcum- 
stances,"  said  Rebecca  laughing. 

"Now,  do  like  a  sensible  girl  make  up  your 
mind  to  receive  Berkhoff.  It  is  your  bounden 
duty  to  do  so." 

"Well,  I  declare,  Mr.  Everard,  it  is  not  every 
young  lady  that  would  take  such  talk  from  you," 
said  Rebecca  frowning. 

"If  I  have  been  rude,  I  beg  your  pardon,  but 
I  beg  you  to  be  a  little  more  lenient  towards  my 
friend.  He  is  too  good  a  person  to  be  trifled 
with." 

"Rebecca,  tell  Mr.  Everard  what  you  mean." 

"Will  he  sue  me  for  breach  of  promise?"  cried 
Rebecca,  frightened. 

"Of  course  not,"  and  Everard  threw  himself 
back  in  his  chair  and  laughed  heartily.  "You  are 
mistaken  in  Berkhoff  altogether.  He  would  not 
give  you  one  moment's  pain  or  inconvenience  if 
he  could  avoid  it  for  anything." 

"But  I  never  wanted,  never  cared  for  him; 
mother  persuaded  me,"  rejoined  Rebecca,  look 
ing  down. 

"My,  Rebecca,  how  you  talk.  You  went  often 
to  his  store.  You  said :  'Berkhoff  is  a  good  man, 
but  a  little  old.'  I  say :  'That's  no  matter,  he  is  a 
business  man,  has  money,'  that  was  true,"  said 
Mrs.  Silverbaum. 

"Wrhat  else  did  you  say,  mother?  Come,  now, 
tell  all.  I  do  not  want  Mr.  Everard  to  have  such 
a  bad  opinion  of  me." 

"Well,  I  said  my  cousin  she  married  a  rich 
man,  she  didn't  love  him.  Her  mother  said: 
'Never  mind,  Minna,  that  comes  afterwards.' 


THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT  307 

And  it  did.  She  lives  in  New  York,  a  great 
lady.  I  married  the  man  I  loved  and  was  un 
happy.  He  was  not  kind  to  me  because  he  was 
too  poor.  So,  I  told  Rebecca,  Berkhoff  has  got 
money,  marry  him." 

"My  dear  ladies,"  returned  Everard,  "a  poor 
man  does  not  necessarily  make  a  good  husband, 
or  a  rich  man  a  bad  one.  Even  where  there  is 
not  love  between  man  and  woman  before  they 
are  married,  congenial  qualities  engender  it  after 
marriage.  People  are  sometimes  deceived  in  it, 
as  in  everything  else.  They  get  the  imitation  for 
the  genuine.  I  hear  Miss  Feld  is  very  ill.  Poor 
girl,  I  pity  her." 

"See,  Mr.  Lavalle,  when  he  knew  trouble  came 
he  ran  off  and  leaves  that  poor  girl,"  said  Mrs. 
Silverbaum. 

''That  is  just  it,  my  dear  madam.  What  do 
you  think  of  him  deserting  a  girl  in  the  direst 
extremity." 

"And  after  being  engaged  so  long,  too.  I 
think  it  perfectly  horrid,"  returned  Rebecca,  car 
ried  away  by  her  feelings. 

"Well,  now,  my  dear  ladies,"  added  Everard 
triumphantly,  "reverse  the  case  and  think  how 
'horrid'  it  would  be  if  poor  Berkhoff  were  de 
serted  by  the  girl  he  loves  so  devotedly.  You 
may  depend  upon  it,  the  world  would  indulge  in 
the  same  cry." 

"I  have  never  in  all  my  life  seen  anyone  like 
you,  ma.  You  make  so  many  blunders,"  added 
Rebecca  angrily. 

"My,  Rebecca." 

"Excuse  me,  ladies,  what  is  the  use  of  this 


308  THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT 

recrimination?  Miss  Rebecca,  do  as  you  would 
have  others  do  and  take  the  man  who  loves  you. 
He  is  honest  and  will  pay  off  every  cent." 

"And  I  am  to  work  with  him  and  help  him  pay 
off  his  debts  contracted  prior  to  marriage?" 
screamed  Rebecca. 

"But  not  prior  to  engagement.  You  have 
been  engaged  to  him  a  long  time,  and  his  em 
barrassment  arose  subsequent  to  that." 

"And  all  this  you  want  me  to  do  for  a  man  I 
do  not  love?"  sobbed  Rebecca. 

"Yes,  I  ask  you  to  do  this.  Your  own  heart, 
naturally  good,  should  prompt  you  to  avoid  what 
is  wrong,"  replied  Everard  relentlessly. 

"I  can't  see  the  wrong,"  said  Rebecca  stub 
bornly. 

"Now  let  me  show  you.  When  you  were  be 
trothed  to  Berkhoff — putting  love  aside — you 
should  have  considered  that  if  misfortune  befell 
him  you  would  have  no  right  to  desert  him." 

"I  did  not  think  that  he  would  have  much 
trouble.  I  admit  I  was  wrong  there,  but  my 
youth  and  inexperience — 

"Well,"  interrupted  Everard,  smiling,  "a  girl 
is  not  expected  to  have  much  experience  in 
matrimonial  matters.  Mothers  should  guide 
their  daughters." 

"You  hear,  ma.    It  is  your  fault." 

"Never  mind,  Miss  Rebecca,  your  mother  did 
not  lead  you  much  astray." 

"I  thought  it  was  for  your  good,  Rebecca. 
Now  I  tell  you  again  ft  is  not  for  your  good," 
said  Mrs.  Silverbaum. 

"My  dear  Mrs.   Silverbaum,  two  wrongs  do 


THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT  309 

not  make  a  right.  You  should  influence  your 
daughter  to  do  her  duty.  The  world  will  not 
regard  her  as  a  heroine,  but  as  a  good,  consci 
entious  girl,  who  having  been  affianced  to  a 
man,  is  not  so  mercenary  as  to  desert  him  when 
misfortune  comes." 

"Ma,  Mr.  Everard  is  right.  It  is  bitter,  it  is 
terrible  for  me  to  endure,  but  it  is  my  duty.  I 
dare  not  go  back  on  my  plighted  faith,"  said 
Rebecca,  covering  her  face  with  her  hands  and 
sobbing  convulsively. 

"Bravo,  my  dear  girl,"  said  Everard  gently. 
"Do  not  think  I  do  not  feel  for  vou.  My  heart 
is  affected  with  compassion  at  your  grief,  but  if 
you  were  my  own  sister  I  would  not  advise  you 
otherwise,  because  this  is  the  honorable  course. 
If  Berkhoff  had  been  found  wanting  in  the 
qualities  that  belong  to  a  good  and  honest  man, 
I  should  say,  cast  him  off ;  but  to  do  so  simply 
because  he  is  unfortunate  would  be  a  real 
wrong." 

"Mr.  Everard,  you  talk  too  much.  Rebecca, 
are  you  mad?  You  marry  that  man  and  I  shall 
not  live  with  you.  You  live  by  yourself." 

"Quite  right,  my  dear  Mrs.  Silverbaum.  You 
are  growing  old  and  need  rest ;  you  board  in  the 
hotel,  and  let  the  two  build  a  nest  for  them 
selves,"  said  Everard  coolly. 

"Yes,  build  with  what,  with  what?"  cried  Mrs. 
Silverbaum ;  "a  nice  nest  that  will  be." 

"Don't  you  fear,  Miss  Rebecca,  land  is  cheap 
here,  and  the  nest  you  shall  have.  When  shall 
Berkhoff  call— to-night  ?" 

"No,  no,  not  now,  not  to-morrow,  in  a  week. 


3io  THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT 

Give  me  time  to  compose  myself  so  that  I  shall 
be  able  to  receive  him  as  I  should,"  returned  Re 
becca,  weeping  afresh. 

"Good-bye,  Miss  Rebecca;  remember,  you 
have  my  warmest  sympathy  and  I  shall  ever  be 
your  sincere  friend.  You  must  excuse  me  for 
this  liberty  I  have  taken  to-night.  It  was  for  a 
friend." 

"He  sent  you.  You  are  silent,  and  that  means 
yes,"  said  Rebecca. 

"I  shall  put  you  in  an  agreeable  light.  Berk- 
hoff  will  love  and  appreciate  you  more  than  ever. 
Mrs.  Silverbaum " 

"Good-night,  good-night,"  interrupted  she. 
"Rebecca  don't  mind  her  mother.  She  is  too 
soft-hearted." 

"Miss  Rebecca  is  worth  a  gold  mine.  Good 
night." 

"Poor  girl,"  muttered  Everard  as  he  walked 
homeward.  "With  a  different  mother  she  would 
never  have  acted  in  this  manner.  But  I  am  sur 
prised  that  she  acts  so  bravely  now.  She  deserves 
great  credit.  Ah,  Rebecca,  you  shall  have  a  lit 
tle  nest  for  your  wedding  present.  Such  good 
ness  or  rather  such  resistance  to  wrong  deserves 
recognition.  Thank  heaven  my  business  is  so 
prosperous  that  I  can  occasionally  indulge  in  a 
little  extravagance.  How  happy  Berkhoff  will 
be  when  I  bring  him  the  happy  news  of  'my  Re 
becca.'  " 


THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT  311 


CHAPTER   XXVIII. 

In  this  trial  of  double  bereavement  Grace, 
though  her  relatives  were  around  her,  was  alone. 
None  living  but  she  and  Arnold  knew  the  cause 
of  Lavalle's  desertion,  and  Arnold  determined  to 
remain  silent,  watch  and  wait.  He  argued  with 
himself  thus: 

"The  girl  with  youth  and  strength  must  re 
cover  and,  finding  herself  bereft  of  parents, 
abandoned  by  her  lover,  and  no  money,  she  will 
naturally  look  for  some  one  to  lean  upon.  I 
shall  be  her  oak.  There  are  no  more  Richmonds 
in  the  field.  I  shall  be  wary  and  bide  my  time." 

Sister  Louise  came  often  to  see  Grace  and  she 
alone  had  the  courage  to  tell  her,  when  conva 
lescent,  that  she  was  an  orphan.  The  nun  did  it 
with  that  rare  tact  found  only  in  the  refined  and 
sympathetic  religieuse.  Her  voice  and  touch 
thrilled  Grace  with  the  same  charm  as  in  the 
days  of  her  childhood. 

"Mary,"  said  Grace,  when  she  called  upon  the 
former,  "I  am  so  miserable.  It  was  only  my  will 
which  gave  me  strength  to-day  to  drag  myself 
here  to  see  you." 

"You,  poor  dear,  you  look  pale,  weak  and 
thin.  Sit  down  in  this  comfortable  chair.  It 
does  me  good  to  look  at  you  resting." 

"Ah!  Mary,  I  owe  you  many  thanks  for  your 


312  THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT 

kindness  and  devotion  to  me  during  my  sick 
ness.  They  tell  me  you  were  up  day  and  night," 
and  the  tears  came  into  the  eyes  of  Grace. 

"Never  mind  that.  I  believe  it  did  not  hurt 
me.  I  am  as  strong  as  ever.  Grace,  you  must 
try  and  rally." 

"1  do  not  know  how  to  account  for  it.  I  can 
scarcely  live  in  my  uncle's  house.  Uncle  is  very, 
very  good  to  me;  aunt  is  so,  too,  in  her  way.  I 
really  am  ashamed  to  say  what  I  wish  after  his 
kindness  in  bringing  me  to  his  house." 

"Well,  you  need  not  be  ashamed  of  me.  Open 
your  heart  to  your  friend." 

"The  happy  laughter  of  uncle's  innocent  chil 
dren  jars  on  my  nerves." 

"No  wonder  in  your  state,  but  that  feeling  will 
pass  away,  dear." 

"When  I  hear  Letitia's  silvery  voice,"  resumed 
Grace,  "it  recalls  painful  memories  of  happy 
days  gone  by.  When  she  comes  near  me  with 
her  soft  caresses,  I  feel  as  if  the  deadly  cobra 
enfolded  me."  I  think  she  must  be  sensible  of 
my  shuddering." 

"The  hypocrite !  She  took  Mr.  Lavalle  from 
you." 

"Sometimes  I  feel  as  if  I  must  weep  my  heart 
out.  I  see  nothing  before  me  but  a  vast  desert 
without  an  oasis  to  relieve  its  aridity.  Its  burn 
ing  heat  consumes  me,"  and  Grace  sank  back  in 
her  chair. 

"You  must  cool  yourself  at  some  refreshing 
fountain." 

"Where  is  the  fountain  of  pure,  sweet  water?" 

"In  the  convent  or  even  here  you  may  find  it. 


THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT  313 

I  wish  my  parents  were  able  to  keep  you," 
sighed  Mary. 

"Hush,  friend.  It  is  more  than  enough  that  I 
have  to  depend  upon  my  relatives.  Not  a  dollar 
saved  out  of  my  poor  father's  estate.  Fearful, 
fearful.  Oh,  that  I  could  eat  of  the  lotus  and 
forget  my  misery.  My  tears  will  come." 

"Weep,  Grace,  weep,  but  you  must  rouse  your 
self;  as  do  the  elements,  human  passions  must 
spend  their  f«ry  before  they  are  calmed.  Better 
that  they  rage  for  a  time  than  that  we  should 
drift  into  insanity." 

"You  remember  in  Victor  Hugo's  'Les  Travail- 
leurs  de  la  Mer,'  in  speaking  of  the  mystery  and 
savageness  of  the  ocean,  he  charges  it  with 
'hyprocrisy'  and  that  when  the  water  closes  over 
the  doomed  mortals,  it  'puts  on  an  air  of  un 
consciousness  and  smiles.'  Fate  acts  that  way 
with  me,  she  is  indifferent  to  my  reproaches,  cries 
of  agony  and  despair.  Oh,  unhappy  me!" 

"Do  you  go  often  to  see  Sister  Louise?" 

"Indeed,  I  believe  I  should  die  if  I  did  not. 
I  do  not  think  my  aunt  likes  it  very  well,  either. 
I  would  I  could  live  forever  with  the  dead  past." 

While  Grace  was  pouring  out  her  lamentations 
into  the  ear  of  Mary  Moss,  Mr.  Rheinberg  came 
home  to  his  twelve  o'clock  dinner. 

"Where  is  Grace?"  he  inquired  as  he  sat  down 
to  the  table. 

"WThere  she  always  is,  I  suppose.  Now  that 
she  can  walk  she  is  continually  running  to  see 
Mary  Moss  or  to  the  convent  to  see  Sister  Lou 
ise.  I  think  we  should  put  a  stop  to  that  con 
vent  running,"  said  Mrs.  Rheinberg  angrily. 


314  THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT 

"Pooh,  pooh!"  answered  Mr.  Rheinberg,  good 
naturedly.  "Clara,  you  have  too  much  orthodox 
feeling  in  you  yet.  Sister  Louise  is  a  good 
woman,  she  has  been  her  schoolmate  and 
friend  for  years.  Grace,  poor  girl,  has  had  trou 
ble  enough  to  turn  many  a  stronger  brain.  Don't 
be  so  foolish  to  take  away  the  only  comfort  she 
has  outside  of  here.  And  Mary  Moss  was  a  very 
good  friend  to  her  in  her  illness,  as  you  well 
know." 

"I  think  mother  is  right,"  chimed  in  Letitia. 

"If  she  would  only  help  a  little  in  the  house," 
continued  Mrs.  Rheinberg,  "her  mind  would  be 
occupied.  It  would  be  much  better  for  her,  too, 
than  always  going  to  the  convent  and  to  Mary 
Moss's.  I  have  never  seen  the  like ;  how  changed 
she  is.  She  doesn't  care  for  anything;  only 
wants  to  be  let  alone.  I  should  like  to  be  let 
alone,  indeed  I  should,  but  my  duties  won't  let 
me  alone." 

"Leave  her  alone.  When  her  grief  has  worn 
itself  out  she  will,  without  being  told,  take  up 
those  little  cares  which  would  be  a  burden  to  her 
now.  Have  patience  with  the  poor  thing,  Clara." 

"It  is  very  well  for  you  to  talk  of  patience. 
With  so  many  children  and  such  responsibilities, 
I  have  another  destitute  girl  on  my  hands  who  is 
worse  than  a  child." 

"Clara,  you  must  not  talk  that  way.  I  won't 
have  it.  It  is  a  shame,"  added  Mr.  Rheinberg 
angrily. 

"Well,  well,  she  makes  me  angry.  She 
has  never  given  me  a  word  of  thanks  since  we 
have  taken  her  into  the  house.  She  sits  down 


THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT  315 

from  morning  until  night  and  cries  and  dreams, 
and  you  come  home  and  preach  patience." 

"I  tell  you  she  must  take  her-  own  time  about 
these  things,"  said  Mr.  Rheinberg  decidedly. 

"I  say  it  is  selfish  in  Grace.  Look  at  our 
Letitia,  gay  as  a  lark,  always  with  a  song  in  her 
throat.  Once  upon  a  time  when  she  did  not 
have  as  much  as  her  cousin,  I  thought  her  dis 
contented,  but  now  that  tables  are  turned,  Grace 
will  not  be  reasonable.  I  would  even  do  more 
for  her  than  I  do,  but  she  accepts  nothing  more 
than  she  can  help;  she  draws  within  herself  like 
an  oyster  into  its  shell.  So  I  cannot  help  com 
plaining.  You  see,  Arnold  might  have  married 
her  after  a  while,  but  he  grew  tired  of  calling 
again  and  again,  and  she  never  once  came  in  to 
see  him.  So  now  that  chance  is  gone,  for  he  has 
left  town,"  added  Mrs.  Rheinberg. 

"Let  him  go.  Arnold  has  been  kind,  offering 
all  kinds  of  things  to  Grace,  but  can  you  wonder 
at  the  poor  girl's  dislike  to  suitors  after  Lavalle's 
unaccountable  behavior?"  said  Rheinberg  indig 
nantly. 

"Mother,"  rejoined  Letitia,  laughing,  "you  had 
better  say  nothing  more.  And,  papa  dear, 
though  you  are  very  good  and  not  easily  excited, 
yet,  when  provoked,  manage  to  generate  gas 
enough  to  explode  a  mine !  Isn't  that  so  ?  And 
even  if  I  am  in  the  wrong,  you  are  not  angry 
with  me  for  telling  you,  are  you?" 

"Not  a  bit  angry,  dear.  I  wonder  what  could 
have  made  Lavalle  act  that  way?"  said  Mr. 
Rheinberg. 

"Why,  of  course  he  heard  what  was  going  to 


316  THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT 

happen  to  poor  uncle,  and  did  not  want  Grace 
when  he  comprehended  how  affairs  stood.  At 
least  it  could  not  be  anything  else,  I  think,"  re 
turned  Letitia,  slightly  flushing. 

"That  just  reminds  me  that  Arnold  showed 
me  a  note  he  had  for  ten  thousand  dollars  against 
Henry.  He  never  presented  it.  He  told  me  not 
to  mention  it  to  Grace,  for  fear  she  would  con 
sider  herself  under  obligations  to  him.  So,  you 
all  be  sure  and  say  nothing  to  her  about  it.  Now 
the  people  here  call  him  a  gambler  and  Lavalle 
was  thought  to  be,  by  Jew  and  Gentile,  a  per 
fect  gentleman.  See  the  actions  of  the  two  men," 
and  Mr.  Rheinberg  put  down  his  glass  of  water 
with  such  decided  emphasis  that  it  was  emptied 
of  half  of  its  contents,  much  to  the  amusement 
of  the  children,  who  were  taught  to  be  seen  and 
not  heard. 

"Do  you  know,  Joseph,  I  teased  Grace  for  half 
an  hour  yesterday,  trying  to  find  out  what  was 
the  cause  of  Lavalle's  leaving,  but  I  could  get  no 
more  satisfaction  out  of  her  than  if  she  were 
stone.  Such  a  girl!" 

"Clara,  business  calls  me,  but  let  me  beg  of 
you  to  leave  the  poor  girl  alone.  Either  she 
knows  it  and  don't  want  to  tell,  or  she  don't 
know  it  and  can't  tell.  At  all  events,  respect  her 
wishes.  She  will  tell  you  what  she  wishes  to  and 
that  is  enough." 

"I  am  sure,  Letitia,  I  don't  mean  to  be  cross 
to  Grace,"  said  Mrs.  Rheinberg,  as  her  hus 
band  left  the  house,  ''but  it  makes  me  nerv 
ous  to  see  her  moping  about  as  she  does.  In  a 
few  hours  she  will  come  back  looking  white  and 


THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT  317 

shaking  her  head  at  everything,  as  if  she  had  no 
tongue.  She  makes  me  think  of  funerals." 

"Her  poems  are  elegies,  monodies  and  threno 
dies,"  returned  Letitia  somewhat  sadly. 

"Don't  talk  unintelligibly,"  said  Mrs.  Rhein- 
berg  tartly,  as  she  proceeded  to  some  household 
affairs. 

Grace  lived  months  in  a  state  of  stupor  and 
despondency.  All  at  once  she  roused  herself  and 
began  to  think  of  the  salvation  of  her  soul. 
Though  really  blameless  in  all  her  conduct, 
whenever  the  transaction  of  the  jewels  flashed 
upon  her,  her  conscience  smote  her  as  though 
she  were  guilty  and  she  could  not  still  its  re 
proaches. 

The  winter  passed,  and  on  a  dull,  blustering 
day  in  the  month  of  March,  Grace  found  herself 
again  on  the  convent  road.  The  north  wind 
blew  through  her  closely  drawn  veil  and  kissed 
her  cheeks  with  all  the  vehemence  of  a  lover.  It 
had  been  trying  hard  to  snow  all  day  and  a  snow- 
flake  fell  on  her  face  and  mingled  with  her  tears. 
The  day  recalled  a  different  scene  some  few 
years  ago  when  she  went  skipping  along  with 
laughing  eye  and  buoyant  spirit,  when  the  wind 
was  as  unceremonious  and  took  the  same  liberties 
as  it  did  to-day.  She  hastened  to  the  dear,  old, 
familiar  place,  fragrant  with  sweet  memories. 

"Dear  Grace,"  said  Sister  Benedicta,  "how  do 
you  feel  to-day?  This  weather  is  too  sharp  for 
you." 

"Oh,  no,"  returned  Grace,  with  a  wan  smile — 
the  nuns  were  the  only  ones  who  could  make  her 


318  THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURREN? 

do  so — "it  does  me  good.  When  I  see  your  dear, 
calm  faces  I  feel  better." 

"Do  you  know,  dear,  who  would  like  to  see 
you  very  much?" 

"Who  ?" 

"Ann  Miller,  who  is  now  the  most  exemplary 
girl  in  the  building,"  replied  Sister  Benedicta. 

"I  do  not  want  to  see  her  now.  Give  her  my 
love.  I  am  not  worthy  yet  to  come  among  good 
children.  Alas!  what  an  example  am  I?"  said 
Grace  mournfully. 

"Poor  child,  you  never  did  a  wrong  action,  I 
am  sure." 

"You  do  not  know  my  sorrows." 

"Yes,  we  know  a  great  deal,"  for  her  lover's 
desertion  was  known  even  within  the  convent, 
"and  all  sympathize  with  you.  Mother  Therese 
prays  for  you." 

"I  thank  her.  You  are  all  very  kind  to  me. 
Good-bye,  I  am  going  to  see  Sister  Louise,"  and 
Grace  passed  on. 

"Was  that  Grace  Feld?"  asked  Sister  Bridget, 
joining  Sister  Benedicta. 

"Yes,  poor  thing,  she  is  sadly  changed.  Those 
men  make  trouble  enough  in  the  world." 

"If  the  women  were  wise  they  would  do  as 
we  and  leave  them  to  themselves.  We  are  not 
slaves,"  said  Sister  Bridget  snappishly. 

"The  bell  rings,  duty  calls,"  laughed  Sister 
Benedicta. 

Adjoining  Sister  Louise's  room  was  an  ora 
tory,  and  there  she  was  often  to  be  found  en 
gaged  in  her  devotions.  The  walls  of  the  apart 
ment  were  decorated  with  the  pictures  of  saints, 


THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT  319 

in  the  center  was  an  altar  with  a  large  crucifix 
above  it;  on  one  side  was  a  statue  of  St.  Joseph 
and  on  the  other  of  the  Virgin,  the  latter  crowned 
with  golden  ornaments.  The  carpet  on  the  plat 
form  before  the  altar  was  worn  threadbare  by 
the  knees  of  daily  penitents. 

Into  this  small  chapel  Grace  wended  her  way, 
and  there  was  Sister  Louise  praying,  her  fea 
tures  shining  with  a  light  more  attractive  and 
beautiful  than  sunshine.  It  was  the  glowing 
emanation  from  a  pure  heart.  Storms  could  not 
shake  her.  She  had  bidden  adieu  to  the  world ; 
broken  all  ties  on  earth.  She  lived  for  nothing 
and  for  everything. 

Grace  looked  at  her  who  was  enjoying  "the 
peace  that  passeth  understanding"  and  mur 
mured,  "Would  I  had  that  gentle  temperament 
and  placid  heart." 

Sister  Louise  finished  her  prayers  before  ad 
dressing  Grace,  but  not  without  invoking  Jesus 
to  turn  that  gentle  heart  to  "the  true  catholic 
faith,  the  only  one  which  leads  to  heaven."  t 

"My  dear  child,  how  pale  you  look." 

"My  parents,"  sobbed  Grace. 

"Is  it  possible  that  you  cannot  be  resigned  to 
the  Divine  will?  Are  they  not" — and  Sister  Lou 
ise  stopped  confused,  she  could  not  comfort  her 
with  her  words,  "in  heaven,"  but  quickly  recov 
ering  from  her  embarrassment,  which  was  not 
even  perceived  by  Grace,  she  continued:  "Does 
not  'the  Lord  chastise  those  whom  he  loveth?' 
God  called  your  parents  away ;  other  worldly  sor 
rows  are  mere  nothings.  Come,  dry  your  tears 


320  THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT 

and  have  more  faith.  'Blessed  are  they  that 
mourn,  for  they  shall  be  comforted.' " 

Trials  had  come  early  to  Sister  Louise.  She 
had  experienced  little  love  at  home,  as  her  mother 
had  died  in  her  infancy.  Her  father,  controlled 
by  the  fascinations  of  his  second  wife,  who  de 
tested  his  child,  barely  tolerated  her  in  his  pres 
ence.  Upon  entering  the  convent  she  was  told 
to  smother  and  bury  the  emotions  of  her  heart 
and  live  only  for  duty.  She  smothered  her  feel 
ings,  but  could  not  bury  them.  She  cut  off  the 
shoots,  but  could  not  tear  up  the  roots.  She 
loved  every  human  being,  every  dumb  animal,  all 
moving  things. 

"Sister  Louise,  you  know  not  of  what  you 
speak,"  and  the  poor  girl,  momentarily  aroused 
out  of  her  lethargy,  lost  control  of  herself. 

"To  lose  a  lover,  to  be  engaged  to  another,  to 
have  at  one  time  parents  and  lover  equally  anx 
ious  to  gratify  every  wish,  all  at  once  to  be  de 
prived  of  everything,  to  have  one  of  your  own 
kindred  deceive  you,  to  be  deserted  and  despised 
by  your  lover,  to  lose  your  parents,  to  be  a  crim 
inal  in  action  if  not  in  intent,  I  say  it  is,  oh  God, 
maddening.  I  tremble  lest  my  reason  should 
give  way."  Grace  pressed  her  hands  to  her  tem-i 
pies  and  rushed  to  the  door,  her  eyes  distended 
and  her  whole  frame  quivering  with  excitement. 

"Come  back,"  cried  Sister  Louise,  running  and 
grasping  her  by  the  hand. 

"Sit  down  and  I  shall  sit  beside  you,"  and  with 
mesmeric  touch  she  pressed  her  cool  hands  on 
Grace's  burning  forehead. 

"Sister  Louise,  what  shall  I  do?"  and  she  laid 


THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT  321 

her  head  on   the  nun's    shoulder    and    sobbed 
vehemently. 

The  good  sister  kissed  that  golden,  luxuriant 
hair,  which  Lavalle  had  so  often  admired  and 
fondled,  and  lovingly  stroked  her  hands  and  face. 
She  had  heard  Grace  utter  the  word  "criminal," 
and  could  not  imagine  what  she  could  have  done 
to  accuse  herself,  when,  remembering  the  girl's 
wavering  disposition,  she  shuddered  and  appre 
hended  that  she  had  strayed  from  virtue's  path. 
If  she  had  only  entered  the  convent,  then  she 
would  have  been  free  from  the  snares  that  beset 
the  weak  and  unwary  in  this  wicked  world,  were 
Sister  Louise's  cogitations.  "Pacify  yourself, 
my  dear  Grace.  You  endanger  your  health  by 
such  violent  outbursts  of  grief.  Your  hands 
are  hot  and  feverish." 

"What  do  I  care  for  health?  These  hands, 
though  not  stained  with  blood  like  Lady  Mac- 
beth's,  are  still  black  with  guilt." 

"My  sweet  child,"  rejoined  Sister  Louise,  who 
had  only  one  thought  in  regard  to  self- accusa 
tion,  "you  were  always  so  trusting,  if — if  any 
one  has  betrayed  that  confidence,  think  not  of 
him.  Remember,  'Though  thy  sins  be  as  scarlet 
they  shall  be  white  as  snow'  when  you  are  bap 
tized." 

Grace,  who  did  not  comprehend  to  what  the 
nun  was  alluding,  replied :  "Kind  friend,  I  am  the 
unscrupulous,  recreant  one ;  I  have  betrayed  the 
trust  placed  in  me.  I  cannot  stand  the  remorse 
any  longer.  I  will  confess  to  you  what  it  is  that 
tortures  and  devours  my  peace  of  mind." 

"I  have  no  power  to  absolve  you  from  sin. 


322  THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT 

Oh,  if  you  were  only  a  Catholic,  then  our  good 
father  confessor  could  ease  and  pour  'the  balm 
of  Gilead'  into  your  wounded  spirit." 

"No,  no,  I  want  no  priestly  confessor.  My 
aunt  is  good  enough,  but  she  has  not  that  sympa 
thetic  forbearance,  that  yearning  over  me,  which 
she  might  have  or  that  discriminating  sense  of 
justice  which  you  possess.  If  my  dear,  good 
uncle  were  alone  I  could  tell  him,  but  with  Leti- 
tia  at  his  side,  whom  I  despise,  detest,  abhor," 
and  her  passion  rose  at  each  word,  "I  cannot.  I 
would  rather  die  than  have  her  hypocritical  re 
grets  mocking  me  in  my  misery." 

"Well,  if  you  must,"  continued  the  nun,  "pro 
ceed." 

"God  forgive,"  said  Grace,  brokenly  and  with 
tears,  "for  speaking  disparingly  of  the  dead,  but 
my  father  gambled  and  lost  heavily.  At  the  in 
stigation  of  that  base  man,  Arnold,  the  lecturer, 
he  played  cards  with  him,  lost  and  gave  him  a 
note  for  twenty  thousand  dollars,  payable  in  three 
days.  I  could  not,  dared  not,  ask  Lavalle,  for  my 
perfidious  cousin  had  made  him  cold  towards  me, 
you  understand." 

"Too  well,"  murmured  the  sister. 

"To  save  my  father  I  hypothecated  all  my  jew 
els.  Arnold,  in  some  manner,  obtained  my  large 
solitaire  diamond  ring  and  Lavalle  left  me  with 
curses  and  God  has  fulfilled  them." 

"What  a  horrible  man  that  lecturer  must  be. 
What  could  have  induced  him  to  endeavor  to 
part  you  and  Mr.  Lavalle?" 

"His  motive  was  vengeance.    The  villain  had 


THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT  323 

proposed  to  me,  knowing  that  I  was  engaged, 
and  I  rejected  him  with  scorn." 

"Terrible  revenge.  'Vengeance  is  mine,'  saith 
the  Lord."  added  the  sister  softly. 

"You  see,"  said  Grace  with  a  ghastly  smile, 
"I  am  my  own  surgeon.  I  have  cut  away  the 
dead  flesh  and  brought  the  ulcer  to  full  view." 

"Has  the  time  expired  in  which  you  could  re 
deem  the  jewels?"  anxiously  inquired  the  nun. 

"It  has.  The  bank,  where  I  pledged  them,  is 
dissolved,  the  cashier  gone  to  parts  unknown  and 
Arnold,  I  think,  is  in  possession  of  all  the  jew 
els.  I  am  of  the  opinion  that  he  must  have  been 
in  collusion  with  the  cashier,  and  that  the  other 
officers  of  the  bank  knew  nothing  of  the  affair, 
as  the  business  was  transacted  at  night,"  said 
Grace,  shivering.  "Have  I  not  suffered,  do  I 
not  suffer?" 

"You  have  and  must  still  suffer,  but  there  is 
hope." 

"If  I  had  a  fortune  showered  upon  me  I  would 
use  it  in  mitigating  the  woes  of  others  and  re 
lieve  my  overburdened  conscience.  If  my  coun 
try  were  involved  in  war  I  would  sacrifice  myself 
on  the  altar  of  patriotism,  by  being  in  the  thick 
est  of  the  battle,  attending  to  the  wounded,  dying 
and  dead." 

"At  present,  dear  Grace,  nothing  demands  a 
martyr  to  its  cause." 

"Now  you  know  all.  Are  you  not  terribly 
shocked  at  my  crime?" 

"I  am  deeply  grieved/'  answered  the  nun  eva- 
aively. 


324  THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT 

"If  the  world  knew  it,  how  it  would  shrink 
from  me!" 

"It  will  only  cause  me  to  draw  closer  the  folds 
of  my  affection  and  friendship,"  replied  Sister 
Louise  warmly. 

"I  knew  you  would,  but  my  soul  seeks  a  cure. 
I  must  have  something,  if  not  to  eradicate,  at 
least  to  assuage  the  pain  of  my  mind." 

"Dear  child,  if  you  were  only  one  of  us,  our 
good  father  would  give  you  some  heavy  penance 
for  body  and  soul.  What  matters  the  corporeal 
part,  food  for  worms,  provided  the  soul  is  saved. 
We  are  all  sinners  and  there  is  absolution  for 
you.  As  Christ  says,  'He  who  is  guiltless  let  him 
throw  the  firct  stone.'  In  this  peaceful  asylum 
you  will  find  that  comfort  and  encouragement 
which  our  bkssed  religion  alone  can  give.  Grace, 
you  are  weary  and  thirsty,  come  take  rest  and  re 
fresh  yoursdf  with  the  drink  I  offer  you.  If 
you  return  tj  the  world  again  and  it  should  dis 
cover  your  ,'  ecret,  it  will  condemn  you ;  and  alone 
with  your  c  mscience  remorse  will  kill  you.  Come, 
I  say,  into  the  motherly  arms  of  the  church  that 
awaits  you,  that  cares  not  for  your  past.  Be  a 
bride  of  Christ,  a  sister  of  mine  and  you  will 
live  and  die  in  holy  content."  The  nun  had 
changed  her  position  and  was  prostrated  on  her 
knees  before  her  young  friend. 

Grace  listened  to  her  cry  of  entreaty  with 
bated  breath  and  wavering  strength.  She  turned 
her  head  and  with  a  low  moan  said :  "No,  not 
yet,  I  must  go  home.  I  feel  exhausted  and  con 
fused.  I  know  no  longer  what  is  right.  I  can- 
net  fb'"k.  Say  no  more  to  me  now,"  and  with  a 


'Grace,   you   are   weary   and   thirsty." 


THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT  325 

hot  and  hurried  kiss  on  the  sister's  brow  she 
rushed  from  the  room. 

Sister  Louise  looked  after  her  with  a  satisfied 
smile,  saying:  "She  hesitates,  she  wavers,  she 
is  lost — to  be  saved!"  She  dropped  on  her 
knees  and  uttered,  with  the  deepest  devotion,  a 
prayer  of  thanksgiving  to  her  patron  saint  for 
her  friend  and  the  increase  of  the  Catholic  faith. 


326  THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT 


CHAPTER    XXIX. 

Grace  returned  home  dispirited,  cold,  fatigued 
and  breathless.  Her  volition,  never  strong,  stag 
gered  under  the  weight  of  remorse.  She  im 
agined  she  espied  from  afar  the  coveted  ease  for 
which  her  soul  yearned.  Her  will  was  almost 
dormant;  nothing  but  some  great  shock  could 
arouse  it. 

Mrs.  Rheinberg,  who  could  not  read  the  strug 
gle  of  the  girl's  mind,  was  provoked  that  an 
other  day  was  lost.  "What  will  become  of  you?" 
she  cried.  "You  are  a  foolish  girl,  whining  and 
crying  like  an  overgrown  baby,  and  running  to 
the  convent  like  a  fanatic,  instead  of  staying  at 
home  and  making  yourself  useful.  The  bread 
to  bake,  the  children  to  wash,  the  dinner  to  cook 
and " 

"And  poor  me,"  spoke  Letitia,  unceremoni 
ously  interrupting  her  mother,  "pricking  off  the 
ends  of  my  fingers.  My  machine  needle  broke 
and  it  was  too  blustering  for  me  to  go  for  an 
other.  Every  poor  woman  doomed  to  make 
trousers  and  petticoats  as  I  have  to  do,  should 
bless  Howe,  or  rather  the  man  who  gave  him 
the  idea  of  the  sewing  machine." 

"Yes,"  resumed  Mrs.  Rheinberg,  "my  Letitia 
has  to  work  the  roses  off  her  cheeks  and  you  cry 
yours  off.  It  is  high  time  for  you  to  change 
your  ways," 


THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT  327 

"Gracious  me,  Grace,  you  look  wan  and  sick. 
Here  is  a  glass  of  fresh  milk,"  said  Letitia,  with 
momentary  compassion  towards  the  unhappy  girl, 
whom  she  had  endeavored  to  supplant. 

Grace  drank  the  milk.  It  refreshed  her  and 
gave  her  the  courage  to  say :  "Yes,  cousin,  I  am 
sick,  but  I  hope  soon  to  be  much  better" — in 
heaven  she  thought — "and  then  it  will  be  so  much 
better  for  aunt." 

Mrs.  Rheinberg,  after  the  ebullition  of  her 
wrath,  was  already  at  work,  had  forgotten  her 
niece's  presence  and  did  not  hear  the  last  remark. 
The  little  cousins  of  Grace  now  flocked  around 
her,  one  here,  one  there. 

"I  went  out  with  papa  to-day  to  the  place 
where  they  put  dead  people,  and  I  saw  such 
pretty  stones  all  covered  with  white  roses,  pic 
tures  and  letters.  Papa  said  he  had  a  stone  like 
one  of  them  put  over  Auntie  Ruth's  and  Uncle 
Henry's  graves  in  St.  Louis.  Good  papa,  me 
like  him,"  said  a  little  toddler  of  some  four  years 
of  age,  who  had  the  observation  and  acumen  of 
one  much  older. 

Grace  burst  into  tears.  Her  heart  smote  her 
at  the  thought  that  her  mind  was  so  engrossed 
with  herself  that  she  had  neglected  to  ask  her 
uncle  whether  he  had  a  monument  erected  over 
her  parents'  graves  or  not. 

"Here,  you  little  prattler,"  said  Mrs.  Rhein 
berg,  coming  in  and  taking  the  child  in  his  arms, 
and  swinging  him  over  his  shoulders,  a  feat  of 
which  both  father  and  child  were  proud,  "have 
you  been  tormenting  cousin  Grace?" 

"No,  me  did  not  pinch  her,  me  did  not  slap  her, 


328  THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT 

me  only  told  something  about  those  nice  stones 
we  saw  to-day.  She  is  thinking  of  her  papa  and 
mamma." 

"Hush,  darling  Reuben.  You  must  not  talk 
so." 

"Do  not  chide  him,  dear  uncle.  My  heart  over 
flows  and  my  tears  run  afresh  at  the  tribute  of 
affection  which  your  kind  heart  has  placed  over 
my  parents'  graves.  Dear  uncle,  how  can  I  ever 
repay  you  for  all  your  goodness  to  me?" 

"Tut,  tut,  child.  All  I  ask  of  you  is  to  stay 
with  us  a  little  more,  be  a  bit  more  cheerful 
and  throw  away  your  trouble,"  replied  her  uncle, 
with  moistened  eye.  "You  have  grieved  long 
enough?  Every  one  must  die  as  well  as  your 
dear  parents.  Don't  look  at  the  dark  side,  but 
where  the  sun  is.  We  can't  any  of  us  have  what 
we  want,  so  let  us  try  and  be  contented  with  what 
He  above  gives  us.  I  think  you  are  beginning 
to  take  it  in  that  light."  He  believed  it  was  so, 
because  it  was  the  first  time  since  she  had  been 
in  the  house  that  she  had  expressed  any  affection. 

"Any  news  in  town  to-day?"  inquired  Letitia. 

"Yes,  my  beauty,"  for  in  Mr.  Rheinberg's  esti 
mation  his  daughter  was  beautiful  and  a  pearl 
above  price,  "some  one  arrived  in  town  this  after 
noon.  Come,  guess.  Let  me  see  how  long  it 
will  take  you." 

"I  am  sure  I  have  not  the  least  conception,  so 
it  would  be  useless  for  me  to  try.  But  I  do  wish 
some  one  would  come  who  could  and  would  re 
lieve  me  of  this  monotonous  existence,  this  vege 
tating.  I  detest  this  country  town  with  its  one 


THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT  329 

/**•"••»..  -  '  . 

thoroughfare  of  stores  and  a  few  private  streets, 
and  these  not  half  lighted  up." 

"But  we  have  orchards  and  gardens  over 
loaded  with  fruits  and  flowers.  We  can  drive  in 
a  little  buggy,  if  we  have  one,  miles  and  miles, 
and  pass  the  homes  of  the  honest,  substantial 
fanners,  dressed  in  jeans,  indeed,  but  strong, 
healthy  and  happy.  And  their  wives  and  chil 
dren  the  same,"  answered  the  father. 

"But  here  we  have  no  parks,  no  boulevards 
with  brilliant  equipages,  no  grand  balls,  no  gor 
geous  dressing.  And  see  our  theatres,  only  a  mis 
erable  hall  with  chintz  curtains ;  wooden  benches 
for  velvet  chairs!  A  few  amateurs  dignified  by 
the  title  of  'Thespians/  poor  substitutes  for  a  Re- 
han,  Warfield  or  Tetrazzini.  Rural  scenes  can 
not  compensate  me  for  the  pleasures  of  a  city. 
It  is  grand  in  St.  Louis." 

"But  only  think,  Letitia,  of  the  hungry,  of  the 
many  crimes  that  take  place  in  those  streets  in 
large  cities.  Those  lights  only  cover  them  as  a 
velvet  pall  thrown  over  a  coffin  hides  what  is 
underneath." 

"No  use  of  talking,  father.  You  cannot  con 
vert  me  to  your  way  of  thinking,  so  please  tell 
me  who  the  new  arrival  is.  It  takes  too  long  to 
guess,  so  you  see  I  am  as  inquisitive  as  any  of 
Eve's  daughters.  I  shall  give  you  kisses  for  the 
name  of  the  man,"  and  Letitia  repeatedly  kissed 
her  father,  through  which  pleasing  operation  he 
closed  his  eyes  and  then  replied,  "Charmer,  it 
is  Arnold." 

"Indeed!"  returned  Letitia  with  sparkling 
eyes. 


330          THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURREN? 

"He  is  an  agreeable  man;  makes  plenty  of 
money,"  added  Mr.  Rheinberg,  "but  some  say 
he  is  fast." 

"I  suppose  they  refer  to  his  gambling  pro 
pensities.  He  does  gamble,"  said  Letitia,  look 
ing  at  her  cousin. 

Grace  heard  the  name  of  Arnold  with  a  shud 
der.  He  had  parted  her  from  Lavalle,  indirectly 
caused  the  death  of  her  parents  and  sunk  her 
into  the  depths  of  misery. 

"Yes,  girls,"  resumed  Mr.  Rheinberg,  "Ar 
nold  said  he  would  drop  in  and  see  us  this  even 
ing.  He  has  a  great  liking  for  this  town,  and 
very  clever  he  is,  too.  His  lectures  seem  to  me 
very  fine.  If  I  could  only  write  like  that.  But 
I  must  remember,  'Shoemaker,  stick  to  your 
last.' " 

"For  heaven's  sake,  papa,"  answered  his 
daughter  with  a  frown,  "don't  quote  those  hor 
rid,  vulgar  sayings,  and  they  lack  even  truth 
sometimes.  Should  Andrew  Johnson  have  stuck 
to  his  needle  or  Abraham  Lincoln  to  his  ax? 
Those  are  truly  great  who,  born  and  bred  to  low 
ly  things,  yet  rise  through  their  merit  to  emi 
nence  and  honor." 

"Well,  well,  child,  have  it  your  own  way.  You 
have  more  book  learning  than  I  have.  You  see 
things  in  a  different  light  and  are  generally  right. 
But,  Grace  dear,  you  must  come  back.  Don't 
stay  in  your  room  to-night,"  said  Mr.  Rheinberg 
as  he  observed  his  niece  preparing  to  leave. 
"Arnold  will  be  here." 

"Dear  uncle,  my  head  aches  frightfully.  You 
must  excuse  me  this  evening." 


33 1 

"I  thought  you  were  going  to  try  and  be  more 
cheerful." 

"But  I  feel  so  miserable,"  and  tears  came 
to  her  eyes. 

"If  you  are  sick,  dear,  go  to  bed.  He  will 
come  again.  He  thinks  the  world  of  you,"  an 
swered  Mr.  Rheinberg. 

"Good-night,"  said  Grace  shudderingly. 

"And  your  supper,"  added  Letitia. 

"I  do  not  wish  any." 

"Poor  girl,  if  she  could  only  make  up  her 
mind  to  it,  company  would  do  her  good,"  said 
Mr.  Rheinberg,  shaking  his  head  and  sighing. 

"Yes,  I  wish  to  heaven  she  would  come  down, 
and  that  Arnold  might  fancy  this  weeping  girl 
and  take  her  off  my  hands,"  said  Mrs.  Rhein 
berg. 

"There,  no  more.  I  have  no  patience  with 
such  talk,"  returned  her  husband. 

When  Arnold  came  his  first  inquiry  was  for 
Miss  Feld,  and  when  told  by  Letitia  that  Grace 
was  suffering  from  a  headache  and  that  she  had 
changed  very  much  since  the  death  of  her  pa 
rents,  he  entreated  Mr.  Rheinberg  to  persuade 
her  to  see  him. 

"Certainly,  certainly,  I  will,"  returned  Mr. 
Rheinberg,  readily. 

"Time  should  already  have  somewhat  subdued 
her  grief.  I  wish  to  convince  her  that  I  love 
her.  I  am  not  ashamed  of  my  honorable  love," 
declared  Arnold,  slightly  flushing.  "I  have  loved 
her  from  the  day  I  first  saw  her.  Of  course,  she 
was  sacred  then,  but  my  love  has  survived  the 


332  THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT 

storm  and  shipwreck  of  fortune.  I  am  now 
ready  to  consecrate  my  life  to  her." 

"This  is  manly,  this  is  good,"  replied  Mr. 
Rheinberg  enthusiastically.  "Take  my  word,  I 
will  do  my  best  for  you." 

"Thank  you,  thank  you,  Rheinberg;  if  I  can 
do  anything  for  you,  depend  upon  me,"  answered 
Arnold  warmly. 

"Do  you  intend  lecturing  again  ?"  inquired  Le- 
titia. 

"Yes,  I  shall  give  a  series  here  and  in  the 
adjacent  towns,  too.  I  am  going  to  remain 
here  off  and  on  for  some  time." 

"I  assure  you,"  returned  Letitia,  "you  will  be 
rapturously  welcomed.  The  town  people  are 
ready  to  deify  you." 

"Are  the  ladies  so  gracious,  too?"  asked  Ar 
nold,  laughing. 

"They  are  always  the  first,  you  know,  to  recog 
nize  talent,"  replied  Letitia,  smiling  sweetly. 

"Thanks,  Miss  Rheinberg.  I  will  include  you 
among  the  number.  I  want  to  tell  you  some  as 
tonishing  news,  which  occurred  just  a  few  mo 
ments  before  I  came  up  here." 

"Do  tell,"  said  Mrs.  Rheinberg,  her  husband 
and  daughter  simultaneously. 

"A  rabbi,  on  his  way  to  New  Orleans,  came 
down  on  the  steamer  this  evening.  It  seems  that 
Everard,  who  has  friends  in  St.  Louis,  knew  of 
his  coming  and  had  Rebecca  Silverbaum's  and 
Berkhoffs  license  and  everything  ready.  While 
the  steamer  was  taking  freight  the  rabbi  married 
the  couple  in  the  private  parlor  of  the  hotel. 


THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT  333 

And  now  they  are  registered  in  the  book  as  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Berkhoff." 

"Did  you  ever!"  cried  Letitia.  "What  a  won 
derful  man  that  lawyer  is.  He  ought  to  be  a 
diplomat." 

"Wonderful !  I  call  him  a  busybody.  The  folks 
round  town  say  he  has  strained  every  nerve  to 
have  the  pair  married." 

"Now,  father,  what  did  I  tell  you?  I  told 
you  I  know  Rebecca  too  well.  She  would  have 
broken  with  Berkhoff  when  he  failed  if  it  had 
not  been  for  Everard.  I  was  round  to  see  Re 
becca  a  few  days  after  BerkhorFs  failure.  Mrs. 
Silverbaum  told  me  Rebecca  was  too  ill  to  see 
any  one,  but  the  way  she  talked  I  thought  Re 
becca  was  going  to  break  the  engagement. 
Heaven  knows  they  have  been  engaged  long 
enough,"  said  Letitia. 

"That  Berkhoff  is  doing  remarkably  well  since 
his  failure.  He  has  taken  in  all  of  poor  Feld's 
trade,"  sighed  Rheinberg. 

"You  should  have  done  that,"  retorted  his 
wife. 

"Yes,  I  should  have  done  it,  but  I  have  no 
luck,  Clara,  no  luck,"  and  Rheinberg  gazed 
around  spiritlessly. 

"Luck!"  exclaimed  Arnold,  "there  is  an  ex 
ample  in  Everard.  They  tell  me  he  is  prosper 
ous.  Sought  after  in  all  the  neighboring  towns; 
called  'the  great  criminal  lawyer.'  " 

"Yes,"  said  Rheinberg  cheerfully,  "all  luck. 
It  was  rumored  that  Berkhoff  in  seme  way  helped 
him  in  the  Niles  case  and  that  made  his  for 
tune." 


334  THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT 

"But  some  people  can't  take  anything,  even  if 
it  be  thrown  under  their  feet,"  returned  Mrs. 
Rheinberg  snappishly. 

"Ha,  ha.  Miss  Grace,"  said  Arnold  as  he  left 
the  house,  "I  am  now  supplied  with  time  and 
money  for  the  siege,  and  the  fortress  must  sur 
render.  By  heavens,  Grace,  there  shall  be  no 
armistice  until  you  capitulate  to  my  terms.'* 

To  the  poor  victim  Arnold  was  as  the  veiled 
Mokanna — his  heart  was  filled  with  perfidy  and 
baseness.  She,  like  Zelica,  saw  it  unveiled  in  all 
its  monstrous  hideousness. 

A  few  days  after  his  evening  visit,  Arnold,  with 
a  smiling  mien,  boldly  rang  Mrs.  Rheinberg's 
door-bell.  It  was  hastily  opened  by  Susan,  the 
tidy  maid  of  all  work.  She  ushered  him  in  with 
the  utmost  deference.  "I  should  like  to  see  Mrs. 
Rheinberg.  I  hope  she  is  in,"  said  Arnold,  tak 
ing  the  precaution  not  to  alarm  Grace  by  sending 
for  her,  wisely  apprehending  that  her  uncle's 
wishes  might  not  yet  have  produced  the  desired 
effect. 

After  being  told  that  she  was  in  and  after  he 
was  seated  Susan  ran  upstairs.  "A  handsome 
stranger,  Miss  Letitia,  wishes  to  see  you.  Look 
your  prettiest,  Miss,  he  is  well  worth  the  trouble. 
I  wish  I  had  your  advantages."  With  a  toss  of 
her  head,  elastic  step,  and  humming  a  song,  she 
disappeared  within  the  mysterious  precincts  of 
the  kitchen. 

"And  I  wish  I  had  your  cheerful,  happy  dispo 
sition.  I  never  feel  perfectly  contented;  one 
want  supplied,  another  arises.  Ah!  Arnold!" 
said  Letitia,  glancing  at  the  card.  "I  must  add 


THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT  335 

a  few  touches  to  my  attire.  People  say  I  have 
the  tact  of  making'  the  simplest  thing  lock  well. 
Fools!"  exclaimed  she  bitterly,  "they  don't  know 
I  owe  this  faculty  to  the  scantiness  of  my  purse." 

"Delighted  to  see  you,  Mr.  Arnold,"  said  Le- 
titia,  tripping  into  the  parlor  with  a  radiant  face. 

"The  happiness  is  mutual,  I  assure  you,  Miss 
Rheinberg.  There  was  a  fashionable  wedding 
this  morning.  It  is  a  wonder  you  were  not 
there." 

"I  suppose  you  refer  to  the  wedding  of  Miss 
Hill  and  Charlie  Bennett.  You  know  the  Hills 
consider  themselves  the  creme  de  creme,"  re 
plied  Letitia,  scornfully.  "They  dislike  Jews; 
fear  contamination." 

'TIa,  ha,"  laughed  Arnold,  "they  belong  to  the 
old  regime.  I  hear  our  distinguished  lawyer  was 
there.  On  dit,  he  is  dangling  after  the  superb 
Amelia." 

"Bah!  she  will  twist  his  heart  and  throw  it 
after  him." 

"She  won't  notice  him  and  treats  him  with 
contempt.  Serves  him  right.  The  idea  of  leav 
ing  the  pretty  Jewish  girls !"  said  Arnold  mali 
ciously. 

"There  is  no  fear  of  Miss  Hill  accepting  Mr. 
Everard." 

"He  is  trying  to  be  magnificent,  generous,  too. 
He  bought  a  house  and  lot  yesterday  for  two 
thousand  dollars  as  a  present  for  Berkhoff  and 
his  wife.  He  is  having  it  furnished  also.  That 
is  ad  captandum  vulgus,"  sneered  Arnold. 

"He  must  be  very  rich  to  do  that,"  gasped 
iLetitia. 


336  THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT 

"Yes,  he  makes  a  grand  show  at  all  events. 
Miss  Hill,  if  she  would  condescend,  would  not 
be  doing  so  badly  as  far  as  money  matters  are 
concerned,  but  the  look  of  the  Jew  irritates  her." 

"He  doesn't  look  like  one,  that  is  sure." 

"But  he  is,  nevertheless.  I  am  sure  his  name 
was  Everhard." 

"Where  are  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Bennett  stopping?" 

"They  left  for  St.  Louis.  When  they  come 
back  they  are  to  board  at  the  St.  Charles  and 
have  a  grand  reception.  Is  Miss  Grace  in?" 

"No,  she  is  spending  the  day  at  the  house  of 
Miss  Moss,  poor  little  thing.  Entre  nous,  I  think 
she  will  soon  join  her  parents." 

"Is  that  possible?"  Arnold  asked  in  consterna 
tion. 

"I  really  fear  death  will  soon  claim  her  for  his 
bride,"  and  Letitia  put  her  handkerchief  to  her 
eyes. 

"It  is  about  nine  months  since  her  parents  died 
and  she  should  have  a  protector,  some  one  to 
look  after  her  tenderly." 

"But  her  year  of  mourning  has  not  yet  ex 
pired." 

"That  is  nothing.  Girls  have  been  married 
when  their  parents  were  on  their  death-bed." 

"Oh,  yes,  Mr.  Arnold,  when  they  have  had  the 
approbation  of  their  parents." 

"Do  you  mean  that  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Feld  would 
not  give  their  consent  if  they  were  alive?"  asked 
Arnold,  indignantly. 

"By  no  means.  Have  patience.  Father  says 
you  are  a  capital  fellow.  He  told  Grace  so,  and 
that  vou  would  not  run  when  vou  smelt  smoke." 


THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT  337 

"I  am  very  grateful  to  your  father.  I  must  be 
going  now.  Do  not  forget  to  put  in  a  good  word 
for  me;  it  may  work  wonders." 

"Rely  upon  me,"  said  Letitia  smilingly. 

"I  am  an  idiot,"  said  Arnold  as  the  door  closed 
upon  him.  "I  have  secured  the  jewels,  but  I 
have  neglected  to  procure  a  few  lines  from 
Grace's  father  commanding  her  to  marry  me. 
If  all  means  fail  me,  I  must  sell  myself  to  Me- 
phistopheles  and  gain  my  coveted  treasure.  I 
fortunately  secured  Mr.  Feld's  autograph  just 
before  he  died.  I  am  an  expert  penman  and  all 
will  be  well."  So  he  wrote  a  few  lines  in  his 
memorandum  book,  signed  the  name  accurately 
after  the  copy,  tore  the  page  out  of  the  book, 
folded  it  up  and  put  it  away  carefully  for  future 
use. 

The  blood  rushed  through  Arnold's  veins  with 
increased  velocity,  his  pace  quickened  with  the 
rapidity  of  his  thoughts,  and  he  soon  found  him 
self  in  the  suburbs  of  the  town  in  the  vicinity  of 
a  small  orchard.  The  trees  were  thickset  and 
though  stripped  of  leaves,  formed  with  their 
branches  a  rather  secure  place  of  concealment, 
through  which  one  could  see  and  not  be  seen 
from  the  other  side. 

A  mysterious,  subtle,  undefinable  influence 
suddenly  recalled  Arnold  to  himself.  He  looked 
up  and  saw  a  veiled  figure  on  the  other  side  of 
the  orchard,  clad  in  the  deepest  black. 

"Ah !"  he  cried,  "there  is  Grace  coming  home, 
not  from  her  friends,  but  from  a  walk,  I  suppose. 
I  can  see  her,  but  she  cannot  see  me.  A  believer 
in  God  occupying  himself  with  the  minute  de- 


338  THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT 

tails  of  our  life  would  say  'a  dispensation  of 
Providence,'  but  I  say,  whether  from  heaven  or 
hell,  she  shall  not  pass  me  by.  She  is  absorbed 
in  thought  and  observes  nothing.  I  shall  turn 
down  this  corner  and  then  meet  her  face  to 
face.  The  wood  is  lonely,  the  orchard  my  good 
genius;  I  can  woo  her  here  ten  thousand  times 
more  advantageously  than  at  the  house,  where 
that  overweening,  audacious,  black-eyed  houri  is 
at  my  elbow." 

In  a  few  moments  Arnold  was  around  the  cor 
ner  and  half  way  up  the  lane.  He  stood  mo 
tionless  in  the  road  with  outstretched  arms. 
Grace  came  leisurely,  dreamingly  on,  seeing 
nothing  until  she  found  herself  within  his  em 
brace.  She  endeavored  to  shriek  aloud,  so  that 
her  voice  might  be  heard  from  one  end  of  the 
town  to  the  other — to  reach  heaven!  But  for 
a  moment  her  tongue  was  paralyzed. 

"Well,  my  dear,"  said  Arnold  mockingly,  as 
Grace's  attempt  to  cry  died  away  in  a  gurgling 
sound,  "why  do  you  not  speak?" 

The  veil  had  fallen  from  her  face,  and  Arnold 
was  shocked  to  see  the  ravages  a  few  months  of 
acute  misery  had  made  upon  those  once  youth 
ful  features.  She  looked  so  ethereal,  so  like  the 
picture  of  an  angel,  with  that  pearly  complexion 
and  aureate  hair;  her  upturned  eyes  appealed  so 
to  the  higher  sentiments  of  his  nature  that  he  re 
frained  from  imprinting  on  her  lips  that  ardent 
kiss  which  he  so  passionately  longed  to  give. 

"How  shall  I  escape  from  this  hated  man?" 
murmured  Grace  as  she  sank  down  white  and 


THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT  339 

trembling  on  a  log,  which  lay  almost  at  their 
feet. 

"Dearest  girl,"  said  he  as  he  seated  himself 
by  her  side,  "brightest  star  of  my  firmament, 
whose  gentle  face  emits  such  silvery  radiance, 
how  I  have  longed  and  prayed  for  this  hour  to 
see  you  once  more.  Heart's  delight,  where  over 
this  wide,  wide  earth  is  there  a  deeper  love  in 
the  heart  of  man  for  woman  than  is  mine  for 
thee  ?  Nay,  sweet  one,"  as  he  attempted  to  take 
her  hand  which  she  threw  aside  with  disgust, 
"do  not  turn  from  me,  but  say  you  will  make  me 
one  of  the  happiest  of  mortals." 

"Villain,  monster  of  evil,  worker  of  iniquity, 
my  evil  genius,"  replied  Grace,  the  floodgate  of 
her  tongue  being  opened,  "why  do  you  follow 
me?  I  would  not  marry  you  before  I  knew  you, 
now  I  loathe  you.  Demon,  murderer  of  my  pa 
rents,  begone." 

Arnold,  exasperated,  jumped  up  with  a  furious 
oath,  then  remembering  himself,  quietly  sat  down 
and  said:  "Come,  come,  my  pretty  one,  give  me 
your  hand.  Let  us  forget  the  past  and  think  only 
of  the  present.  I  love  you  wildly,  madly,  and 
would  be  happy  to  die  for  you.  Your  hand,  my 
darling." 

"Away!  touch  me  not,  you  dishonorable  man. 
I  scorn  you.  Go,  gambler,  rob  people  of 
their  diamonds,"  and  Grace  fairly  shrieked  out 
the  words. 

Arnold  gave  a  low,  demoniacal  laugh,  which 
would  have  reflected  honor  on  a  Richard  wooing 
Lady  Anne,  and  said,  "  'But  'twas  thy  beauty 
provoked  me,'  I  did  it  all  for  thee," 


340  THE  ^RESISTIBLE  CURRENT 

"But  I  am  not  to  be  won  like  England's  Anne. 
No  new  love  will  ever  bud  forth  on  the  ruins  of 
the  old.  The  flowers  will  cease  to  grow  when  I 
love  you.  So  leave  me  now  and  forever,"  and 
she  said  this  with  such  vehemence  and  energy 
that  she  not  only  startled  Arnold,  but  herself. 

"I  shall  have  to  play  my  last  card,"  mentally 
said  Arnold,  and  then,  aloud,  "I  had  hoped,  dear 
est  girl,  to  induce  you  of  your  own  account  to 
love  me,  but  as  I  cannot,  I  am  compelled  to  be 
the  bearer  of  a  command  given  me  by  your 
father  previous  to  his  death,  and  which  implores 
and  bids  you  marry  me.  And  you  know  the 
Bible  teaches  obedience." 

"In  that  duty,"  rejoined  Grace  hastily  and 
somewhat  hotly,  "I  have  nevr  been  remiss.  It 
was  instilled  in  my  mind  in  my  childhood.  It 
broke  ties,  formed  new  ones  and,  alas !  what  else 
did  it  not  cause  me  to  do?  I  obeyed  my  parents 
faithfully,  unto  death,  and  I  pray  God  to  forgive 
me  if  I  did  anything  wrong.  My  father  could 
not,  would  not,  command  me  to  marry  a  man 
whom  I  hate.  He  knew  it." 

Arnold  had  not  taken  his  eyes  off  of  Grace  dur 
ing  her  reply.  He  gave  her  time  before  he  an 
swered  for  the  words  to  burn  deeply  into  her 
heart  and  be  a  premonition  of  what  must  be. 
"The  Fifth  commandment  has  heretofore  caused 
you  unhappiness,  but  for  all  that  Scripture  shall 
be  verified,  as  it  will  be  instrumental  in  rendering 
you  one  of  the  happiest  of  women.  I  saw  your 
father,  God  bless  his  memory,  some  hours  before 
he  committed  that  rash  and  fatal  act.  He  must 
then  have  had  suicide  in  contemplation,  as  he 


"Your   father's  last  wish  is  to  be  seen  in  these 
few  lines." 


THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT  341 

wrote  these  few  lines  to  you  which  I  have  in  my 
pocket,  wishing  you  to  wed  me,  knowing  that  it 
would  be  for  your  good.  He  was  aware  that 
your  union  with  Lavalle  was  utterly  impossible, 
for  even  if  he  had  come  back  to  you  in  your 
desolation,  which  he  took  good  care  not  to  do, 
you  would  feel  yourself  too  humiliated  to  become 
the  wife  of  a  man  whom  your  father  robbed  and 
you  in  a  manner  assisted." 

His  tone  and  words,  cold  and  cutting  as  an 
icicle,  dropped  like  a  weight  upon  her  heart  and 
made  her  gasp  out:  "Do  not  speak  harshly  of 
Lavalle  for  not  coming  back.  My  filial  duty 
wronged  him.  I  feel  confused  and  bewildered. 
I  have  lost  my  faith  in  man ;  great  God,  help  me, 
that  I  lose  not  my  faith  in  Thee."  She  clasped 
her  hands  and  raised  her  streaming  eyes  to 
heaven. 

"Put  your  faith  in  me,  dear  Grace.  I  shall  not 
deceive  you.  Your  father's  last  wish  is  to  be 
seen  in  these  few  lines,"  and  Arnold  took  the 
paper  he  himself  had  written  from  his  pocket- 
book  and  held  it  before  her  eyes.  She  turned 
away  her  head ;  her  only  desire  was  to  flee  from 
him.  "I  did  not  wish,"  resumed  Arnold,  "to  in 
trude  immediately  after  your  parent's  death  and 
insist  upon  the  fulfillment  of  your  father's  wish. 
I  thought  when  some  time  had  elapsed  and  you 
were  composed  you  would  see  the  hopelessness  of 
waiting  for  Lavalle,  the  dreariness,  dependence 
and  the  horror  of  associating  with  Letitia" — he 
had  probed  her  inmost  thoughts — "whose  mind 
cannot  appreciate  yours  and  who  has  no  sympa 
thy  with  anyone.  Your  aunt,  a  plain  woman, 


342  THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT 

barely  tolerates  you;  therefore,  come  to  me,  who 
will  make  a  snug  retreat  for  you,  who  will  un 
derstand,  value,  cherish,  love  and  adore  you.  As 
you  have  heretofore  wept,  so  shall  you  hereafter 
smile.  You  will  grow  strong  under  my  shelter 
ing  affection  and  look  upon  the  past  miserable 
months  as  but  the  prelude  to  continual  happi 
ness.  Come  to  me,  I  beg  you." 

"I  cannot  believe/'  returned  Grace,  vehemently, 
but  tremblingly,  which  weakness  Arnold  did  not 
fail  to  perceive,  "that  my  father  left  a  note  ex 
pressing  a  wish  for  me  to  marry  one  whom  he 
knew  I  could  not  love  or  honor.  As  for  your 
love,  I  despise  it." 

"Your  father's  written  wish  I  placed  before 
you  once;  here  it  is  again,  read  it.  For  its  au 
thenticity  I  swear  by  the  faith  of  our  fathers." 
The  oath  gave  Arnold  no  little  compunction,  still 
he  uttered  it  without  apparent  hesitation.  "You 
will  not,  cannot  deny  his  handwriting.  Come,  do 
not  be  stubborn,"  as  she  persistently  refused  to 
look  at  it.  Moreover,  I  warn  you  not  to  spurn 
my  love.  It  will  prove  a  blessing  to  the  woman 
who  will  reap  the  fullness  of  it.  The  highest 
compliment  a  man  can  pay  a  woman  is  to  seek 
her  as  his  wife." 

"Where  love  is  mutual,  woman  is  indeed 
blessed  in  man's  devotion,  but  not  if  coerced  into 
the  nuptial  bonds  with  a  man  she  detests.  To 
bind  two  together  who  have  no  amity  for  each 
other  is  a  sacrilege." 

"But  Grace " 

"Speak  to  me  no  further.  I  must  go  home  and 
think  well  over  this.  Give  me  the  note." 


THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT  343 

"No,  read  it  here.  You  see  now,  it  is  genu 
ine.  Do  you  know  this  signature?" 

Grace  looked,  read  and  scrutinized  it,  with  the 
eye  of  a  critic,  but  there  it  was,  her  father's 
handwriting,  not  blurred,  but  clear  and  distinct, 
indelibly  stamping  on  her  mind  the  cruel  import 
of  his  words. 

"Reflect  well  on  your  father's  last  wishes  and 
'your  inheritance  will  be  long  in  the  land.'  You 
shall  have  time  until  to-morrow  to  decide.  Think 
of  one  thing,  obedience,  and  you  will  not  go 
astray." 

Arnold  rose  as  Grace  did,  allowed  her  to  pass 
without  any  more  protestations  of  love,  lifted  his 
hat  politely,  even  gayly,  and  said:  "To-morrow, 
then,  at  2  P.  M.,  you  must  be  here  and  give  me  a 
decided  answer.  This  shall  be  our  trysting 
place." 

Grace  bowed  her  head  and  passed  on.  Arnold 
watched  her  until  she  was  out  of  sight.  Her 
drooping  figure  and  slow  steps  smote  him  some 
what  for  his  persecution  and  he  could  not  help 
remarking:  "Devilish  sorry,  but  why  can't  she 
see  what  is  good  for  her  and  thank  God  who 
has  sent  her  fate  in  such  a  pleasing  shape !  But, 
by  Jove,  this  is  a  coup  de  maitre."  He  took  a 
cigar  out  of  his  cigar  case,  lighted  it  and  saun 
tered  homeward,  not  without  some  anxiety  as  to 
the  result  of  his  manceuver. 


344  THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT 


CHAPTER  XXX. 

"Come,  Grace,  take  something  to  eat,  you  look 
miserable.  Your  visit  to-day  to  Mary  Moss  has 
clone  you  no  good.  Do  take  something,"  insisted 
Airs.  Rheinberg. 

"Never  mind,  aunt,  I  do  not  want  any  din 
ner." 

"No  dinner !  no  wonder  you  get  so  thin,  child." 

"Please,  aunt,  don't  let  me  be  disturbed  to 
night.  I  shall  not  try  your  patience  much  longer. 
I  shall  soon  give  up  thinking  what  'might  have 
been.'  I  intend  doing  better." 

"Well  spoken,  dear  child.  It  is  time  for  you 
to  turn  over  a  new  leaf.  You  mustn't  let  your 
mind  think  of  one  thing  so  long.  Grief  must 
wear  away  or  it  will  wear  us  out.  The  children 
shall  not  trouble  you." 

"Thanks;  good-night."  Grace  would  gladly 
have  thrown  her  arms  around  Mrs.  Rhein- 
berg's  neck  and  wept  out  the  agony  of  her  heart, 
but  there  was  no  call  in  her  eye,  no  response  in 
her  even  unsympathetic  "good-night." 

"My  sweet  children  disturb  any  one,  indeed! 
She  knows  not  what  children  are  to  console  one 
in  time  of  trouble.  But  how  should  she  know 
anything  about  children,  never  having  had  any 
brothers  or  sisters?  Now,  if  my  good  Joseph 
should  die,  I  should  not  have  time  to  give  way 


THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT  345 

like  her.  After  a  few  weeks  of  grief — for  I 
should  cry  dreadfully,  I  know" — and  the  matron 
wiped  away  a  tear  at  the  thought,  "my  children's 
needs  would  be  so  great  that  I  could  only  snatch 
a  few  hours,  and  after  a  while  would  have  to 
stop  and  try  to  be  satisfied  with  the  will  of 
God." 

When  Grace  told  her  aunt  about  "doing  bet 
ter"  she  had  no  idea  what  she  would  do.  She 
only  felt  a  dull,  aching  pain  in  her  head,  which 
put  an  absolute  veto  on  her  thinking.  She  went 
to  her  room  and  threw  herself  undressed  on  the 
bed.  It  was  long  ere  balmy  sleep  fell  on  her  eye 
lids  and  steeped  her  sorrows  in  momentary  ob 
livion. 

Grace,  waking  up  with  a  start,  exclaimed, 
"how  long  have  I  slept?  I  am  very  cold  and 
cramped.  It  is  five,"  said  she,  striking  a  match 
and  looking  at  the  clock.  "I  must  think  now  what 
toils  I  am  in.  Are  they  human  or  not?  Did  my 
dear  dead  father  do  this?  Who  knows  he  might 
have  been  driven  into  it  by  Arnold,  for  it  is  his 
writing."  Grace  was  too  unsophisticated  and  un 
suspecting  to  doubt  but  that  her  father  was  the 
author  of  the  letter. 

"How  can  I,"  she  cried,  "escape  from  the  arms 
of  Arnold,  who  has  so  long,  like  a  devil-fish, 
thrown  out  his  tentacles  to  draw  me  in?  If  I 
could  only  rest,  but  I  must  not  secure  it  as  my 
father  did."  This  voice,  which  made  itself  heard 
in  the  darkness,  was  the  voice  of  immortality. 

"But  one  thing  is  left  me,"  and  there  stood  be 
fore  Grace  the  walls  of  the  convent  with  Sister 
Louise  as  the  guardian  angel.  She  thought  not 


346          THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT 

of  the  doctrines  of  the  Catholic  Church,  the 
whole  religion  was  embodied  in  one  form,  Sister 
Louise,  who  so  young  had  voluntarily  renounced 
the  pleasures  of  the  world,  and  whose  life  was 
an  eternal  spring  of  peace  and  holy  joy.  Hers 
was  the  path  of  roses  whose  stems  had  no  thorns. 
The  event  of  yesterday  came  rushing  over  Grace 
like  a  torrent  which  she  could  not  check.  That 
lethargy  which  her  mind  craved  for  would  not 
come;  it  had  left  her  with  sleep.  She  was  seized 
with  uncontrolable  shudderings  and  walked  up 
and  down  her  small  room  with  rapid  strides. 
Each  time  as  the  door  or  window  barred  her  pas 
sage,  she  looked  up  as  if  there  was  some  one 
there  to  reprove  her.  Her  mind,  from  being  tor 
pid,  became  excessively  agitated  and  generated  a 
multitude  of  wild,  fantastic  ideas.  "Oh,  why," 
she  cried,  "do  not  these  thoughts  take  some 
tangible  shape?" 

Her  imagination  now  came  into  play;  phan 
tasms  floated  around  her,  they  increased  in  size 
and  assumed  bold,  extravagant  shapes;  they 
surged  like  the  wild  waves  of  the  storm,  one 
larger  and  fiercer  than  the  others  overleapt  them 
all;  everything  was  swallowed  up  in  one  deep, 
dark,  indistinct  and  undetermined  mass.  As  a 
roaring  like  pursuing  waters  sounded  around  her, 
with  one  bound  she  was  to  the  door,  through  the 
hall,  down  the  stairs,  into  the  street,  fleeing  as 
if  chased  by  furies  and  fiends. 

"I  am  not  very  well,  and  shall  say  my  matins 
in  the  oratory  instead  of  the  chapel  this  morn 
ing,"  said  Sister  Louise  to  Sister  Bridget. 


THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT*  347 

"You  had  better,  as  it  is  a  little  damp  out." 
The  chapel  was  in  the  nuns'  building  and  Sister 
Louise  slept  in  the  girls'  dormitory. 

"Holy  Mother,  Virgin  Mary,"  said  Sister  Lou 
ise  as  she  stopped  in  the  midst  of  her  prayers, 
the  rosary  dropping  from  her  hands,  as  with  a 
heavy  thud  something  fell  at  her  feet.  "It  is  my 
poor,  beloved  Grace."  A  smile  of  ineffable  love 
and  tenderness  wreathed  her  pale  lips,  as  she 
chafed  the  cold  hands  of  the  unconscious  girl. 
"She  will  not  die,"  cried  the  nun.  "She  will  live 
to  be  saved  and  to  bless  the  hour  which  brought 
her  within  these  walls.  Oh,  blessed  Virgin 
Mary,  Mother  of  God,  I  beseech  Thee  to  grant 
this  poor  creature  to  survive  this  shock,  be  a 
convert  to  our  holy  religion  in  heart  and  soul,  an 
humble  penitent  at  Thy  feet  and  a  harbinger  of 
Christian  love  and  peace  wherever  she  goes,"  and 
with  the  sign  of  the  cross  and  "amen,"  she  turned 
her  attention  to  the  insensible  girl. 


348  THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT 


CHAPTER  XXXI. 

"Well,  Dr.  Harriot,"  said  Sister  Louise  to  the 
physician,  who  came  to  see  Grace  in  the  nuns' 
infirmary  where  she  had  been  removed,  "is  there 
hope?" 

"I  must  feel  her  pulse  and  examine  the  symp 
toms  carefully  before  I  can  tell  you.  Her  pulse 
beats  very  irregularly  and  quickly,  I  observe.  Did 
you  notice  her  open  her  eyes  just  now?  The  pu 
pils  are  contracted.  The  indications  are  of  brain 
fever." 

"Doctor,  you  must  do  your  best,"  said  Sister 
Louise  anxiously. 

"I  have  been  the  medical  practitioner  of  the 
college  and  convent  for  a  number  of  years,  and 
have  taken  a  deep  interest  in  many  that  I  have 
tided  over  severe  and  protracted  diseases,  but  in 
none  did  I  take  such  an  interest  as  I  shall  in  the 
case  of  this  poor  unfortunate  girl." 

"Unhappy  creature,"  murmured  the  nun. 

"Why,  I  have  known  Grace  from  childhood 
and  was  the  family  physician  of  her  parents. 
How  I  sympathize  with  her !  I  think  this  has 
been  brought  on  by  great  mental  excitement  and 
will  not  readily  give  way." 

"She  is  young." 

"Yes,  therefore  with  great  care  and  unremit 
ting  attention  she  may  be  able  to  triumph  over 
the  malady." 


THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT  349 

"That  care  and  attention  she  shall  have." 

"Here  I  leave  a  prescription  of  aconite ;  give 
according  to  directions.  Darken  the  room  par 
tially.  About  free  ventilation  and  frequent 
changes  of  linen,  you  sisters  need  never  be  told, 
but  there  is  one  thing  that  is  absolutely  necessary 
for  her,  and  that  is  quiet.  I  order  that  as  one 
of  the  principal  remedies." 

"You  can  depend  upon  me.  I  only  hope,"  was 
the  nun's  mental  wish,  "that  you  will  do  your 
duty  as  well  as  I  shall  do  mine,"  for  the  physi 
cian  was  addicted  to  drink,  but  was  still  consid 
ered  by  many  "the  best  in  town." 

"I  wonder  how  she  ever  came  here  ?  Have  you 
sent  word  to  her  relatives?"  inquired  the  physi 
cian. 

"Yes,  I  expect  them  here  any  moment.  The 
gates  are  generally  locked  early,  so  how  Grace 
came  in  is  a  mystery  to  me.  I  am  happy  to  say 
she  has  a  liking  for  me." 

"She  is  wise.  I  shall  call  soon  again,"  replied 
the  physician  as  he  left. 

"Good-morning,"  said  Dr.  Harriot  to  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Rheinberg,  whom  he  met  coming  in  at  the 
gate,  looking  anxious  and  excited. 

"How  is  Grace?" 

"My  dear  old  friends,  I  regret  to  say  she  is 
ill." 

"We  must  take  her  home  immediately,"  ex 
claimed  Mrs.  Rheinberg. 

"Impossible,  my  dear  friends." 

"She  must  be  taken  home,  I  say,"  persisted 
Mrs.  Rheinberg.  "She  must  be  well  taken  care 
of,  and  I  must  see  to  it." 


35°  THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT 

"But  it  is  unreasonable  to  have  her  moved 
now,"  urged  the  doctor.  "As  for  attention,  I  will 
be  responsible  for  that;  she  shall  have  it.  The 
nuns  are  skillful  nurses,  you  know." 

"I  know  nothing  of  the  kind,"  retorted  Mrs. 
Rheinberg. 

"Well,  maybe  your  husband  knows  something 
about  it,  then,"  coolly  returned  the  physician. 

"Clara,"  spoke  Mr.  Rheinberg,  "we  will  have 
to  be  satisfied  with  the  doctor's  advice.  Just 
as  soon  as  she  is  able  we  will  take  her  home." 

"I  am  going  in  to  see  her,  anyway,"  said  Mrs. 
Rheinberg,  angrily.  "Come  on,  Joseph,  you  can 
stay  in  the  parlor." 

"See  her  by  all  means,"  said  the  doctor,  as  he 
passed  out  of  the  gate. 

"Come,"  said  a  nun  to  Mrs.  Rheinberg,  who 
had  demanded  admittance,  "you  are  to  see  your 
niece.  Your  husband  can  remain  in  the  parlor." 

As  the  door  opened,  Grace,  whose  eyes  were 
momentarily  growing  more  sensitive  to  the  light, 
closed  them  and  lay  for  a  few  moments  perfectly 
still. 

"Is  she  asleep?"  whispered  Mrs.  Rheinberg, 
quietly  seating  herself. 

"I  scarcely  think  so,"  returned  Sister  Louise. 

Mrs.  Rheinberg  arose,  went  up  to  the  bed  and 
put  her  cool  hands  on  the  burning  forehead  of 
Grace.  She  opened  her  feverish  eyes  and  gazed 
at  her  aunt  fixedly,  but  vacantly. 

"Dear  Grace,"  said  Mrs.  Rheinberg,  endeavor 
ing  to  smooth  her  hair  with  one  hand,  and  caress 
ingly  stroking  her  brow  with  the  other,  "you  will 
come  and  be  nursed  at  home,  won't  you  ?" 


THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT  351 

Grace  writhed  under  her  aunt's  touch,  but  the 
words  "come  home"  threw  her  into  a  frenzy. 
"Home!  I  have  no  home.  Sister  Louise,"  and 
her  voice  rose  to  a  pitch  of  shrieking  entreaty, 
"do  not  send  me  home.  Keep  me  with  you.  I 
will  not  be  Arnold's  wife.  Take  him  away.  I 
will  not  see  him."  She  struggled  and  raved  and 
finally  threw  the  bed-clothes  over  her  face  to 
shut  out  the  hated  vision. 

"What  shall  I  do  ?"  asked  Mrs.  Rheinberg  help 
lessly. 

"Leave  now,"  said  Sister  Louise  decidedly. 
"You  see  she  is  delirious  and  why  aggravate  her 
excitement?" 

"But  she  wants  care." 

"And  I  say  she  shall  have  it.  Have  no  fear 
on  that  account.  I  assure  you,  dear  Mrs.  Rhein 
berg,  you  can  entrust  her  to  my  care." 

"Well,  Clara,  how  is  she?"  asked  Mr.  Rhein 
berg  as  his  wife  entered  the  parlor. 

"Come,  we  have  to  leave  her  now,  she  is  out 
of  her  mind." 

"As  soon  as  she  is  better  we  will  take  the  poor 
thing  home." 

"Indeed,  not  long  shall  Grace  stay  in  this  place 
and  listen  to  the  honeyed  words  of  that  nun,"  and 
to  give  emphasis  to  her  words  Mrs.  Rheinberg 
closed  the  gate  with  a  slam. 

Notwithstanding  care  and  precaution  the  fever 
rapidly  increased.  Day  after  day  Grace  muttered 
and  raved  in  delirium  or  lay  in  a  semi-comatose 
state. 

"Dr.  Harriot,"  said  Sister  Louise  to  the  physi 
cian  one  day,  "whenever  the  aunt  or  cousin  of 


352  THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT 

Graces  comes  in  she  instantly  prays  to  be  saved 
from  them.  After  such  paroxysms  her  exhaus 
tion  and  prostration  are  always  greater  and  her 
stupor  deeper." 

"They  must  be  kept  away  then,"  promptly  re 
turned  the  physician.  "Tell  them  I  have  strictly 
prohibited  their  admittance  to  the  sick  room  for 
the  present.  Tell  me,  does  she  recognize  you?" 

"Not  exactly,  but  my  hand  and  voice  seem  to 
soothe  and  control  her." 

"A  kind  of  mesmerism  in  your  touch.  Well, 
she  had  byronia  yesterday ;  she  shall  have  bella 
donna  to-day  and  stramonium  to-morrow.  Does 
she  still  crave  for  ice?" 

"Incessantly." 

"Let  her  have  all  she  wants  of  it." 

Upon  Sister  Louise  devolved  the  principal  part 
of  the  tedious  and  arduous  nursing.  Stimulated 
by  the  prospect  of  saving  not  only  the  life  of  a 
being  dear  to  her,  but  a  soul  as  well,  the  task, 
though  painful,  was  a  most  grateful  one. 

Days  had  run  to  weeks ;  four  long,  dreary 
weeks  had  come  and  gone.  Meanwhile  the  days 
had  lengthened  as  the  sun  moved  continually  in 
a  higher  circle ;  the  March  snows  had  been  melted 
by  the  soft  rains  of  April,  and  the  motley  drama 
of  human  life,  with  its  shifting  scenes  of  joy  and 
sorrow,  birth  and  decay — the  perfect  transcript 
of  the  eternal  nature  molding  and  controlling 
all — enacted  itself  as  from  the  beginning,  while 
Grace  still  tossed  in  her  bed  of  sickness  and  pain. 

"Sister  Louise,"  said  Dr.  Harriot,  "the  crisis  is 
near  at  hand.  See  what  a  profound  stupor  she 
is  in." 


THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT  353 

"She  was  very  violent  before  you  came,  conse 
quently  the  exhaustion  is  excessive.  I  gave  her, 
or  rather  attempted  to  give  her,  some  of  that 
drink  made  of  milk,  eggs  well  beaten,  and  a  small 
quantity  of  brandy." 

"The  beatings  of  her  pulse  are  so  feeble  as  to 
be  scarcely  felt,  her  skin  is  clothed  in  a  cold, 
clammy  perspiration  and  has  lost  its  elasticity." 

"See  her  face,  Doctor,  how  pinched  and  pallid 
it  is." 

"It  seems  as  if  that  mysterious,  volatile  essence 
which  we  call  life  has  fled,  but  Grace  is  only  in  a 
coma." 

"Will  she  recover?" 

"God  must  decide  that,  Sister  Louise,"  an 
swered  the  physician  solemnly.  "I  shall  call  fre 
quently  during  the  day  to  see  if  there  be  a 
change." 

"If  she  should  die  in  this  unshrived,  impeni 
tent  state,  will  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  receive  the 
soul  for  whose  redemption  I  have  so  earnestly 
prayed?"  was  now  the  anxious  thought  of  Sister 
Louise. 

"Girls,"  said  Sister  Benedicta,  moving  in  her 
usual  noiseless  manner  among  the  pupils  in  the 
yard,  "Grace  Feld,  whom  many  of  you  know  per 
sonally,  is  lying  very  low.  In  her  chamber  are 
two  angels  contending  for  victory.  I  know  I 
need  not  tell  you  that  you  must  not  trespass  on 
the  grounds  surrounding  the  building  where  she 
is,  which,  though  forbidden,  you  do  sometimes 
when  playing." 

"No,  no,"  they  responded  in  a  subdued  chorus, 


354  THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT 

with  tears  in  their  eyes,  "we  shall  tread  more 
quietly ;  we  shall  not  speak  above  our  breath,  and 
we  shall  pray  God  to  make  the  poor  sick  girl 
well." 

"Good,"  replied  the  nun  softly,  "I  have  no 
more  to  say." 

"Sister  Mary  Ann,"  said  one  of  the  girls,  who 
had  assembled  in  the  school-room,  "it  is  awful 
to  think  that  while  we  are  talking  or  reciting, 
eating  or  drinking,  Grace  Feld  may  die." 

"To  be  sure  it  is,"  replied  the  aged  nun.  "And, 
girls,  no  one  knows  who  may  be  called  next." 

"Are  you  afraid  to  die,  Sister  Mary  Ann?" 
asked  Victoria  Comin,  a  tall  girl  from  Baton 
Rouge. 

"Yes,"  said  she  tremblingly,  "I  want  to  live." 

"But  you  will  go  to  heaven,  you  are  so  good," 
added  Victoria. 

"I  hope  so,  my  child." 

"But  if  the  girl  of  the  other  faith" — there  were 
no  harsh  names  to-day — "should  die  so  young,  so 
good,  would  she  be  irrevocably  lost  or  would  she 
remain  in  purgatory  with  unbaptized  infants?" 
questioned  Victoria. 

"You  know  that  anyone  who  has  not  been  bap 
tized  in  the  name  of  the  Father,  the  Son  and  the 
Holy  Ghost  can  never  rest  in  the  bosom  of  the 
Saviour,  and  I  fear  she  cannot  enter  even  purga 
tory,"  and  the  good,  old  sister  knitted  faster  than 
ever. 

"How  dismal,"  groaned  Victoria.  "I  thank 
God  I  am  a  Catholic." 

"But,"  said  Ann  Miller,  whom  nobody  ob 
served,  springing  up  excitedly,  "Christ  is  too 


THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT  35^ 

good.  There  must  be  some  nice  place  for  the 
pure  of  heart." 

"I  tell  you,"  said  several  of  the  girls  in  chorus, 
"there  is " 

"Girls,"  spoke  Sister  Mary  Ann,  "I  want  you 
all  to  be  quiet.  Do  your  best  while  here,  attend 
to  your  religious  duties,  and  when  you  die  and 
go  to  heaven  you  will  see  who  is  there.  Children 
know  not  what  is  to  happen  in  the  next  world ; 
they  must  follow  the  teachings  of  the  Church 
while  here.  Ann,  you  have  been  crying." 

"I  want  to  go  to  the  other  building  where 
Grace  Feld  is,"  sobbed  the  girl. 

"But  you  can  do  no  good  there.  You  will 
only  be  in  the  way." 

"I  will  not  be  in  the  way.  I  will  be  on  the 
floor  at  the  foot  of  the  bed  or  under  it.  Pray, 
good  Sister  Mary  Ann,  get  me  excused  for  this 
day." 

"Sister  Louise  will  not  let  you  in." 

"Please  give  me  the  excuse.  Sister  Louise  will 
not  deny  me.  Just  give  me  the  excuse,"  re 
peated  Ann. 

"Well,  I  cannot  refuse  you.  You  shall  be  ex 
cused.  You  see  if  it  will  do  you  any  good." 

"Thanks,  kind  Sister,"  answered  Ann,  kissing 
her  hand. 

"Well,  whispered  Sister  Benedicta,  coming  into 
the  sick  room,  "it  is  noon  and  you  must  have 
some  refreshment.  How  is  -she?" 

"No  perceptible  change,"  returned  Sister  Lou 
ise. 

"Has  the  doctor  been  here  ?" 


356  THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT 

"Yes,  already  twice  to-day.  Oh,  Sister  Bene- 
dicta,  it  is  bitter  to  think  she  may  die  and  descend 
into  the  realms  of  darkness,"  said  Sister  Lou 
ise  shudderingly. 

"Do  you  know,  I  think,  as  she  came  to  the 
convent  she  wanted  to  be  a  Catholic,  and  proba 
bly  we  have  done  wrong  by  not  attending  to  her 
unexpressed  wish,"  added  Sister  Benedicta,  look 
ing  steadily  at  Sister  Louise. 

"No,  no,"  replied  the  young  nun.  "As  much  as 
I  should  like  to  see  Grace  a  Catholic,  I  should 
not  wish  her  to  become  one  through  her  weak 
ness.  I  wish  her  to  be  converted  through  the 
beauties  and  convictions  of  our  religion,  so  that 
she  will  gladly  stand  with  us  at  the  Communion 
table  and  partake  of  the  Holy  Sacrament." 

"You  may  be  right,"  murmured  Sister  Bene 
dicta.  "I  shall  take  your  place  now.  Go  and 
consider  yourself  relieved  for  a  few  hours." 

"I  cannot  leave  now.     I  must  stay  with  this 

precious  one  to  see  if  her  soul  take  its  flight  to 

its  eternal  home  or  with  God's  will  she  open  her 

eyes  in  recognition  of  terrestrial  surroundings." 

"Have  your  way." 

"Sister  Benedicta  sent  me  in  with  this,"  said 
Ann  Miller,  walking  in  a  few  moments  afterward 
with  a  tray  of  eatables. 

"Dear  child,  I  need  nothing.  The  excitement 
of  dread  and  suspense  are  sufficient  to  sustain 
me,  but  I  shall  take  something,  as  Sister  Bene 
dicta  is  so  kind." 

"Sister  Louise,  may  I  stay  with  you?"  said 
Ann,  quietly. 

"My  dear,  you  are  better  off  at  your  lessons. 


THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT  357 

Anyway,  you  will  be  crying  here,  your  eyes  are 
red  already." 

"Yes,  so  they  are,  but  I  will  not  cry  if  you  will 
let  me  stay  with  you;  I  will  only  pray  to  myself. 
I  don't  talk  of  your  goodness,  Sister  Louise,  be 
cause  I  should  die  without  you,"  said  the  child 
passionately,  but  in  a  low  voice :  "Grace  Feld  has 
been  very  kind,  very  good  to  me.  Let  me  stay 
just  until  she  wakes  up,  please  God." 

"Yes,  she  will  awake  either  in  life  or  death  as 
the  latter  is  the  passage  to  another  life.  Ann,  I 
cannot  resist  your  pleadings.  If  you  have  re 
ceived  permission  you  may  stay.  Take  the  tray 
away  and  come  back." 

"Sister  Mary  Ann  took  pity  on  me  and  gave 
me  an  excuse.  I  shall  be  back  directly,"  and 
Ann  noiselessly  left  the  room. 

"Is  there  still  no  change?"  asked  Sister  Bene- 
dicta,  coming  in  at  ten  in  the  evening. 

"To  my  grief  there  is  none  yet,"  replied  Sister 
Louise  sadly. 

"I  have  come  to  share  the  vigils  of  the  night 
with  you.  You  can  rest  now." 

"I  want  you  to  stay,  but  I  want  you  to  sit  in 
that  comfortable  arm-chair  and  sleep,  too.  I 
shall  remain  by  the  bed." 

"Very  well,  if  you  want  me,  call  me.  I  should 
persuade  you  to  rest,  but  I  know  it  would  not 
do  much  good  now.  May  the  holy  saints  pro 
tect  you,"  said  Sister  Benedicta,  seating  herself 
in  the  easy  chair,  in  which  she  soon  fell  asleep. 

The  clock  struck  twelve,  the  mystical,  ghostly 
hour;  then  one,  two,  three,  four.  Sister  Louise 
touched  the  hands  of  Grace  and  put  them  to  her 


358  THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT 

forehead.  She  ran  and  tapped  Sister  Benedicta 
lightly. 

"What  is  the  matter?"  asked  the  latter  as  she 
rubbed  her  eyes. 

"Joy  unutterable !  Grace  is  getting  better.  The 
cold,  clammy  sweat  and  the  tensity  of  the  skin 
are  gone.  Come,  let  us  rub  her  vigorously." 

"Just  look  at  Ann  there,  bright  as  a  dollar, 
with  the  tears  glistening  in  her  eyes." 

"The  child  has  not  closed  her  eyes  this  night," 
rejoined  Sister  Louise,  going  industriously  to 
work.  In  a  whirl  of  gratitude  she  breathed  pray 
er  after  prayer  that  the  mind  of  Grace  might  be 
left  intact. 

"She  is  becoming  warm,"  said  Sister  Benedicta. 

"Yes,  there  is  a  slight  moisture  about  her  hands 
and  face,  her  pulse  beats  more  regularly  and  her 
breathing  is  becoming  more  perceptible.  Did 
you  hear  that  faint,  fluttering  sigh  as  if  the  soul 
had  reluctantly  returned  after  a  flight  to  a  better 
world  ?" 

"She  is  coming  to  herself  now,"  responded  Sis 
ter  Benedicta. 

In  a  few  moments  Grace  opened  her  eyes  and 
feebly  articulated,  "You  here,  Sister  Louise! 
Why  do  I  feel  so  weak  and  tired  ?"  and  she  weari 
ly  closed  her  eyes. 

The  good  nun  suppressed  her  ejaculation  of 
pleasure,  and  gave  her  a  cordial  which  had  been 
left  prepared  and  which  she  swallowed  without 
a  murmur. 

"Dear  Grace,  you  have  been  very  ill  and  your 
own  good  Dr.  Harriot  is  attending  you.  He  left 
orders  for  you  to  keep  perfectly  quiet.  You  are 


THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT  359 

to  mind  only  your  nurses,  our  humble  selves,  Sis 
ter  Benedicta  and  I.  Ask  no  explanations,  when 
you  are  well  we  shall  give  them  to  you.  Now  do 
not  think,  but  go  to  sleep,"  and  as  Sister  Louise 
spoke  she  kissed  her  lightly  on  the  cheek.  A 
slight  smile  passed  over  the  wan  face  of  the 
sick  girl  and,  like  a  fatigued  child,  she  did 
as  she  was  bidden  and  fell  into  a  refresh 
ing  slumber.  When  her  breathing  denoted 
that  she  was  soundly  sleeping,  then  the  gen 
tle  Sister  threw  herself  on  her  knees,  made 
the  sign  of  the  cross,  raised  her  streaming  eyes  to 
heaven  and,  slipping  the  rosary  through  her 
fingers,  said:  "Almighty  and  eternal  God,  Thou 
who  reignest  on  high  and  canst  do  all  things,  who 
has  stretched  forth  Thy  hand  and  saved  this 
soul  from  mortal  death,  I  beseech  Thee  in  Thy 
infinite  mercy  and  wisdom  to  let  this  good  spirit 
know  and  hearken  unto  Thy  voice,  that  she  may 
rejoice  in  Thy  goodness,  learn  of  the  light  Eter 
nal  and  be  saved  through  Thee,  who  by  Thy 
death  and  passion  gavest  hope  to  all  mankind." 


360  THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT 


CHAPTER  XXXII. 

"Alice,"  said  Mr.  Hill  to  his  daughter,  who  had 
just  arrived  from  St.  Louis  and  was  at  the  hotel, 
"I  am  delighted  to  see  you,  but  I  had  hoped  you 
would  live  with  us." 

"You  dear  papa,  Charlie  says  it  will  be  much 
pleasanter  this  way.  We  shall  have  to  visit  one 
another,  invite  one  anotner  to  luncheon,  dinner, 
etc.  I  wanted  to  go  housekeeping,  too,  but  he 
will  not  hear  of  it." 

"What  a  tyrant,"  said  Amelia. 

"Don't  you  say  a  word  about  Charlie.  He  is 
the  dearest,  best,  most  devoted  husband  in  the 
world,"  rejoined  the  young  bride,  with  tears  of 
happiness  in  her  eyes. 

"That  he  is,  my  darling;  if  I  had  not  thought 
he  would  be  so  he  never  would  have  had  my  con 
sent  to  carry  off  my  sprightly,  sunny  Alice,"  re 
turned  her  father,  fondly  stroking  her  hair. 

"Yes,  Alice,"  added  Amelia,  "I  believe  Charlie 
is  worthy  of  you." 

"My  Amelia,"  said  her  father  proudly,  "will 
stay  with  me,  for  there  is  no  congenial  spirit  for 
her.  My  physician  has  ordered  me  to  travel,  but 
I  am  afraid  some  one  will  see,  value  and  want 
to  steal  my  great  pearl.  Ah !  that  would  be  sad." 

"Do  not  fear,  father,"  rejoined  Amelia,  turn 
ing  very  pale.  "I  shall  never  marry." 


THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT  361 

"Father,"  said  Bennett,  rushing  in,  "I  am  ad 
vanced  to  cashier  in  the  bank.  Some  one  who 
knows  told  me  as  I  was  overlooking  my  baggage. 
I  know  also  to  whom  I  am  indebted.  I  thank  you, 
father,  in  the  name  of  myself  and  my  dear  little 
wife.  Doesn't  she  look  charming?" 

"Indeed,  Charlie,  you  must  be  the  happiest  per 
son  in  the  world,"  returned  Mr.  Hill. 

"Well,"  said  Bennett,  laughing,  "I  am  ready  to 
shoot  anyone  who  says  I  am  not." 

"Before  you  went  to  look  for  your  baggage, 
and  then  I  only  saw  you  a  moment,  I  knew  you 
were  the  same  good,  gay  Charlie,"  added  Ame 
lia. 

"I  suppose  you  know  that  by  the  kiss  I  gave 
you.  Well,  never  mind,  I  am  going  to  be  good 
sure  enough  now.  Marriage  improves  a  man, 
above  all  when  he  happens  to  get  a  wife  like 
mine." 

"No  more  flattery,"  said  Alice. 

"Come,  father,  let  us  go  to  the  bank." 

"Certainly,  take  care  of  yourselves,  dears,  till 
we  return."  j 

"Amelia,  don't  let  any  man  run  off  with  this 
woman  while  I  am  gone,"  continued  Charlie,  kiss-' 
ing  Alice  repeatedly ;  "say  she  is  Bennett's  prop 
erty." 

"Don't  alarm  yourself,  Charlie,  nobody  will: 
want  me.  Bye-bye." 

"Charlie  is  a  noble  fellow,"  said  Amelia. 

"Indeed,  he  is.  Notwithstanding  his  gay  spir 
its  he  thinks  seriously  of  the  happiness  of  others. 
He  spoke  of  you  continually  while  we  were 
away." 


362  THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT 

"What  did  he  say?" 

"He  regretted  that  'our  superb  Amelia'  was 
confined  to  this  small  town." 

"Why?  Do  I  need  large  fields  to  develop  my 
splendid  talents?"  said  Amelia,  ironically. 

"No,  but  in  large  cities  many  great  and  dis 
tinguished  men  congregate  and  there  your  good 
ness  and  your  beauty  would  be  appreciated,"  re 
turned  Alice  warmly. 

"You  and  Charlie  are  too  considerate,"  said 
Amelia  coldly.  "Father's  resources  are  ample, 
and  if  I  were  inclined  to  travel  and  remain 
months  in  some  large  cities,  I  should  have  only  to 
say  so." 

"Papa  is  not  looking  much  better.  Is  he  en 
tirely  recovered?"  anxiously  inquired  Alice. 

"I'm  afraid  father  will  never  be  the  man  he 
was  before  the  first  stroke  of  paralysis.  He  seems 
well,  but  has  lost  his  ambition.  He  refuses  cli 
ent  after  client,  but  insists  upon  going  regularly 
to  his  office.  I  am  urging  him  to  retire  and  you 
and  Charlie  must  do  the  same." 

"Well,  why  not  travel?  Diversity  is  just  what 
papa  requires." 

"I  do  not  care  to  go  traveling;  still,  for  fath 
er's  sake,  I  would  go." 

"There  was  a  time  when  you  were  fond  of  trav 
eling.  You  formerly  wished  that  papa  would 
give  himself  a  little  respite  in  that  direction." 

"Yes,  yes,  I  do  want  to  go,  I  am  eager  to  go," 
said  Amelia,  turning  pale. 

"Sister,  you  are  an  enigma  to-day.  You  say 
you  do  not  want  to  marry,  you  do  not  want  to 
travel,  then  almost  in  the  same  breath  you  do 


THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT  363 : 

i 

want  to  travel.  What  is  the  matter  with  you,  who 
are  always  so  calm,  so  even,  so  candid?"  said 
Alice,  gazing  at  Amelia  wonderingly. 

"Why  question  me  ?  Why  torment  me  ?" 

"Heaven  forbid  that  I  should  pain  you,"  re 
turned  Alice  caressingly. 

"But  you  do.    You  are  torturing  me." 

"I?  Oh,  Amelia,  you  look  pale,  worn,  sick. 
Have  you  had  the  ague  since  I  have  been  gone?" 

"You  are  silly.  I  am  not  ill.  Do  you  think 
that  everyone,  not  overflowing  with  happiness 
like  you,  must  be  ill?" 

"Have  I  lost  through  marriage  my  kind,  sweet, 
gentle  sister?"  asked  Alice,  bursting  into  tears. 

"Dear,  dear,  do  not  cry.  Are  you  blind  ?  Can 
you  not  see  that  I  am  unwell?" 

"Dear  sister,"  returned  Alice,  throwing  her 
arms  around  Amelia's  neck,  "you  are  not  acting 
with  your  accustomed  consistency.  Come,  lie 
down  on  the  sofa  and  rest." 

"I  cannot  rest." 

"Tell  me  then,  are  you  unhappy  ?" 

A  low  moan  escaped  Amelia's  lips. 

"I  am  answered.  Confide  in  me,  your  little 
Alice,  who  always  breathed  her  troubles  on  your 
dear  bosom.  It  cannot  be  that  you  nurse  some 
unrequited  love." 

"Ah !"  said  Amelia  mournfully,  "it  is  more 
hopeless  than  that." 

"I  do  not  understand  you.  What  can  be  worse 
than  unrequited  love?  I  shudder  to  think  what 
would  have  become  of  me  if  Charlie  had  not 
loved  me." 


364  THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT 

"But  to  love  and  be  loved,"  said  Amelia  ex 
citedly. 

"That  is  lovely.    Then  go  and  get  married." 

"But  if  judgment,  self-esteem  and  honor  tell 
you  to  crush  that  love,  what  then?"  returned 
Amelia,  in  anguish  of  mind. 

"Amelia  Hill  can  never  love  dishonorably," 
said  Alice  promptly  and  proudly. 

"And  never  will.  I  shall  tear  it  from  my  heart. 
But  oh,  the  pain,"  groaned  Amelia. 

"I  am  perfectly  astonished  at  you.  Your  char 
acter  has  phases  like  the  moon.  For  heaven's 
sake  tell  me  the  name  of  this  man,  who  does  as 
pire  to  your  hand  and  who,  though  you  are  aware 
he  is  unworthy  of  you,  is  capable  of  making  such 
a  deep  impression  upon  your  heart.  His  name, 
sister,  I  beg  of  you." 

"Alice,  I  am  ashamed,"  murmured  Amelia,  cov 
ering  her  burning  face  with  her  handkerchief. 

"To  little  Alice !  I  assure  you  whatever  you 
will  tell  me  shall  never  be  divulged  without  your 
consent.  Come,  tell  me,  we  have  no  mother  and 
must  confide  in  each  other.  You  will  be  all 
the  happier,  too.  Come,  do,"  pleaded  she. 

"Mark  Anthony  Everard,  the  Jew,  proposed  to 
me,"  said  Amelia  emphatically. 

"And " 

"And,"  interrupted  Amelia,  "I  treated  him  and 
his  proposal  with  the  scorn  they  deserve." 

"Yet  you  love  him,"  said  Alice,  pale  with  agi 
tation. 

"I  love  him  wildly,  but  still  recoil  from  him." 

"Unhappy  Amelia.    Does  papa  know  of  this?" 

"Know?    He  does  not  dream  of  it  and  must 


THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT  365 

not  know.  He  would  blush  with  shame  to  think 
that  his  daughter,  Amelia  Hill,  should  be  in  love 
with  a  Jew,"  and  she  laughed  hysterically. 

"How  horrid  that  that  one  little  word,  Jew, 
should  be  a  barrier  between  you  and  him!" 

"But  it  is  an  impassable  one." 

"Yet  it  has  been  crossed,"  said  Alice  nervously. 

"Yes,  but  unless  either  the  man  or  the  woman 
is  converted,  or  both  are  indifferent  to  religion, 
it  results  in  unhappiness." 

"But  what  will  you  do?" 

"Have  I  not  told  you,"  returned  she  contempt 
uously,  "how  I  treated  him." 

"What  did  he  say?" 

"What  men  always  say,  I  suppose.  That  I  was 
destined  for  him  and  that  I  would  yet  learn  to 
love  him." 

"What  audacity!    Perfectly  shocking." 

"But  I  shall  live  to  defy  him.  I  will  stamp  this 
passion  out.  It  must  die  if,  like  Samson,  I  go 
down  with  it." 

"Amelia,  your  precious  life  must  not  be  sacri 
ficed." 

"What  can  be  done  under  these  circum 
stances  ?" 

"Love  him  a  little." 

"Love  him  a  little !"  replied  Amelia,  amazedly* 
"And  then?" 

"Love  him  a  little  more." 

"And  then  what  ?" 

"Marry  him,"  said  Alice  smiling,  though  very 
white. 

"You  are  jesting,  sister." 


366  THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT 

"There  is  some  one  rapping.  A  card,  Mr. 
Everard  wishes  to  see  me,"  said  Alice  as  she  took 
the  card  from  the  bell-boy.  "What  shall  I  do  ?" 

"Admit  him ;  I  shall  retire." 


THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT  367 


CHAPTER  XXXIII. 

"Have  any  of  you  seen  Grace  to-day?"  said 
Arnold  as  he,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Rheinberg  and  Leti- 
tia  were  assembled  in  the  parlor. 

"Yes,  she  is  doing  nicely,  too ;  able  to  sit  up  in 
bed.  You  must  remember  that  it  is  three  weeks 
since  she  changed  for  the  better,"  answered  Mrs. 
Rheinberg. 

"Thank  God,"  said  her  husband,  "she  will  soon 
come  home." 

"The  way  she  feels  now  I  think  she  will  be  a 
long  time  about  it.  I  never  saw  such  a  girl.  She 
actually  hates  me  since  she  has  been  sick,"  said 
Mrs.  Rheinberg. 

"You  are  mistaken,  it  is  only  the  peevishness 
of  sickness." 

"No,  I  am  not,  Joseph.  When  she  was  delirious 
it  was  different,  but  now  when  Letitia  or  I  come 
in  she  still  draws  her  brows  up,  is  sullen,  never 
saying  a  word,  and  half  the  time  closing  her 
eyes.  I  tell  you  I  am  tired  of  running  after  her 
and  begging  her  to  come  home  and  getting  the 
same  answer  every  day,  'wait  until  I  am  better.' 
Now,  if  you  want  her  to  come  home,  run  after 
her  yourself." 

"Clara,  you  know  I  have  inquired  after  her  sev 
eral  times." 

"Hundreds  of  times  you  mean,  father,"  inter 
rupted  Letitia. 


368  THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT 

"Well,  it  is  not  pleasant  for  a  man  to  go 
there,"  said  Mr.  Rheinberg.  "It  is  your  place, 
Clara." 

''Let  her  stay  there  until  her  ideas  are  different. 
Let  her  stay  until  those  dreary  walls  seem  like  a 
prison.  She  will  be  glad  enough  to  come  here 
yet,  silly  thing,"  added  Mrs.  Rheinberg. 

"That  will  never  do,"  remonstrated  Arnold. 
"You  have  no  idea  how  the  nuns  will  influence 
and  control  her.  They  will  be  good  to  her,  gen 
tle  and  soft  as  a  summer's  zephyr.  And  what 
does  Grace  want?  Nothing  but  to  blot  out  the 
past.  She  will  not  trouble  herself  about  the  whys 
or  wherefores,  about  considerations,  motives  or 
calculations." 

"She  knows  no  gratitude.  What  shall  I  do, 
wear  my  shoes  out  running  to  the  convent?" 
angrily  said  Mrs.  Rheinberg. 

"The  nuns  wish  to  acquire  a  lost  soul.  Every 
thing  that  can  induce  a  half  slumbering  mind  to 
dwell  peacefully,  lovingly  and  yearningly  upon 
religion  will  be  done,"  persisted  Arnold. 

"Why  don't  you  go  yourself?"  said  Letitia. 

"Probably  I  have  been !" 

"No !"  cried  Letitia.    "Do  tell  us  all  about  it." 

"Well,  I  had  the  courage— 

"The  boldness,"  exclaimed  Letitia. 

"The  courage,"  pursued  Arnold,  without  no 
ticing  Letitia's  remark,  "to  go  to  the  convent  and 
endeavor  to  represent  myself  as  'one  who  has  a 
right  to  know.'  It  seems  they  were  prepared  for 
me.  The  portress  told  me  Sister  Louise,  who 
ever  that  may  be,  said  that  Miss  Feld  would  not 
receive  visitors  until  she  had  entirely  recovered. 


THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT  369 

Ha,  ha!  Rheinberg,  I  have  no  doubt  they  will 
send  in  a  nice  little  bill." 

''That  girl  will  ruin  us,  that's  just  what  she'll 
do ;  I  know  her,"  said  Mrs.  Rheinberg. 

"Clara,  why  will  you  talk  this  way?  I  will 
manage  to  pay  it,"  responded  her  husband. 

"Don't  be  alarmed,  mother,"  said  Letitia,  "the 
nuns  will  never  send  in  an  account." 

"And  if  they  do,"  continued  Arnold,  "I,  who 
hope  to  be  considered  her  future  husband,  am 
eager  to  pay  all  demands.  But,  Rheinberg,  listen 
to  my  appeal.  Take  the  girl  from  the  convent. 
Do  not  let  her  remain  there." 

"You  are  right.  She  ought  to  come  home.  She 
shall  not  stay  there  another  day,"  declared  Mr. 
Rheinberg. 

"Bah!"  are  you  afraid  of  Grace  turning  Catho 
lic?"  exclaimed  Letitia  scornfully.  "I  assure  you 
she  does  not  possess  enough  courage;  she  would 
think  if  she  changed  her  religion  her  doom  was 
sealed.  And  she  will  never  do  anything  that 
causes  comment.  She  has  no  firmness  of  char 
acter,  but  in  regard  to  her  religion  she  is  ada 
mant." 

"Letitia  is  right,"  added  Mrs.  Rheinberg,  sec 
onding  the  unexpressed  wish  of  her  daughter, 
that  Grace  remain  in  the  convent  for  the  present. 
"Grace  is  too  timid  to  turn.  I  suppose  she  wants 
to  stay  because  the  children  are  too  noisy  here. 
Everything  frets  her,  so  perhaps  she  had  better 
stay  where  she  is  until  she  is  well  and  strong,  and 
then  she  will  come  without  any  begging.  Yet,  if 
you  wish  it,  Joseph,  I  will  go  after  her  again 
to-morrow," 


370  THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT 

"Yes,  by  all  means." 

It  is  needless  to  say  that  though  Mrs.  Rhein- 
berg  went  the  next  day  to  the  convent  and  in  her 
own  way  urged  Grace  to  come  home,  the  next 
night  found  the  latter  in  the  same  place.  There 
she  remained,  contrary  to  the  heartfelt  desire  and 
expressed  wish  of  her  uncle.  And  Mr.  Arnold 
could  do  nothing  but  fret  and  fume,  curse  his 
fate  and  say  he  was  "born  under  an  unlucky 
star." 

Around  the  walls  of  the  room  in  which  Grace 
was,  were  placed  pictures  representing  various 
saints  in  different  scenes  of  beatitude.  St.  Jerome 
in  the  wilderness,  the  Bible  in  his  hand,  with  mild 
and  pensive  face;  St.  Anthony,  with  the  "sacred 
fire"  painted  by  his  side,  and  Francis  D'Assissi 
were  the  notable  ones,  but  the  most  conspicuous 
of  all  was  the  Virgin  Mother,  with  her  beseech 
ing  eyes  raised  heavenward,  and  the  smiling  in 
fant  in  happy  innocence  and  loveliness.  That  pic 
ture  was  directly  over  the  mantel. 

"You  love  to  look  at  that  picture,  do  you  not?" 
said  Sister  Louise  to  Grace. 

"Yes,  my  eyes  are  always  wandering  to  it.  It 
seems  as  if  she  were  my  mother  and  I  the  little 
child,"  answered  she,  while  her  eyes  involuntarily 
filled  with  tears  and  a  soft,  holy,  ineffable  smile 
overcast  her  face. 

"The  Holy  Mother  is  watching  over  you." 

"Blessed  Mother,"  replied  Grace  with  a  smile. 
"But  that,"  pointing  to  the  picture  on  the  right 
side  of  the  mantel,  with  a  frown,  "I  do  not  like." 

"What,  Christ  on  the  cross  ?" 

"Yes.    That  picture  is  frightful,  with  its  torn 


THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT  371 

and  bleeding  brows.  It  is  holding  up  to  eternal 
execration  the  race  from  which  he  was  descended 
and  condemning  them  for  an  execution  which 
they  did  not  commit.  It  was  the  Roman  mode  of 
carrying  out  capital  punishment." 

"But  he  said,  'Forgive  them.'  'Errare  human- 
urn  est,  condonare  divinum.'  " 

"But  over  eighteen  hundred  years  have  rolled 
away,  generation  after  generation  has  passed  into 
oblivion,  and  the  deed  is  still  unforgiven.  You 
cannot  dislike  me  on  that  account,  can  you?" 

"Grace,  Grace,  I  love  you.  Do  you  not  know 
Christianity  advocates  forgiveness." 

"But  does  it  practice  it?" 

"I  hope  so.  Forgiveness  is  one  of  the  sweet 
est  and  most  fragrant  flowers  that  can  be  culled 
in  the  garden  of  religion,"  said  Sister  Louise, 
kissing  her. 

"I  want  nothing,  all  doubts  vanish  when  you 
are  with  me.  What  a  pretty  canary  bird !" 

"Mrs.  Stevens,  a  friend  of  the  institution,  sent 
it  to  you.  Is  it  not  pretty  ?  And  how  it  sings  and 
chirps,  captive  as  it  is." 

"Sweet  bird !  how  happy  thou  art,"  murmured 
Grace. 

"And  you,  dearest,  can  be  just  as  happy.  Here 
you  will  be  as  the  birds,  with  nothing  to  do  but  to 
sing  sweet  carols  to  God." 

"I  cannot  shake  off  the  melancholv,"  replied 
Grace,  as  a  tear  fell  down  her  cheek,  "which 
creeps  over  me  like  a  funeral  dirge." 

"Come,  come,  you  dear  one,  no  tears  to-day, 
for  you  are  to  sit  up  in  the  arm-chair.  You  would 
stay  in  bed  forever,  I  do  believe,  if  someone  did 


THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT 

not  make  you  get  up.  You  lazy  girl,"  and  Sister 
Louise  patted  her  on  the  face.  "Here  you  have 
been  convalescent  for  several  weeks  and  not  out 
of  bed  yet.  Fie!  See,  here  is  a  nice  black  wrap 
per." 

"I  suppose  my  aunt  did  not  send  my  wearing 
apparel  ?" 

"No,  she  only  sent  some  underwear.  It  is  just 
as  well,  dear,"  said  the  good  sister,  sponging  her 
face  and  hands. 

The  hair  of  Grace,  which  had  been  cut  short, 
surrounded  her  head  like  a  golden  crown.  It 
required  all  the  persuasion,  nay,  force  of  the 
brush  to  make  it  smooth,  and  then  here  and  there 
one  little  curl  more  rebellious  than  its  fellows, 
would  boldly  thrust  itself  forward  as  if  to  say: 
"The  hair  is  all  that  rebels,  and  that  will  do  so  to 
the  end." 

"Put  on  these  slippers,  dear,  and  throw  this 
shawl  over  your  shoulders." 

"Your  loving  hands  crocheted  this  shawl  dur 
ing  the  hours  of  my  convalescence,  did  they  not?" 

"Yes,  dear,"  and  the  nun  guided  her  weak  and 
faltering  steps  to  the  arm-chair  and  wheeled  it 
to  the  window,  where  she  sat  and  looked  out  at 
the  beautiful  flowers,  fanned  by  the  sweet  breath 
of  May  and  scattering  abroad  their  perfume. 
When  in  her  delirium  she  ran  to  the  convent  the 
trees  had  no  leaves  and  the  plants  neither  buds 
nor  leaves.  Life  and  beauty  had  since  sprung  out 
of  the  dry  and  torpid  stems  and  branches,  speak 
ing  volumes  of  the  greatness  and  goodness  of 
God.  A  deep,  holy  calm  surrounded  the  place. 
The  bird  in  its  c  ^e  sang  paeons  of  love,  and 


THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT  373 

gratitude  to  its  Creator.  Grace  drank  in  all  the 
quietness  and  ease  of  the  place,  and  the  dream 
of  the  flower  life  entered  her  mind,  "They  toil 
not,  neither  do  they  spin." 

A  few  mornings  after  this  Grace  was  again 
sitting  by  the  window,  inhaling  the  fragrance  of 
a  bouquet  of  violets,  which  Sister  Louise  had 
given  her  a  few  moments  before  she  left  the 
room.  These  flowers,  emblematical  of  purity, 
sweetness  and  modesty,  told  her  of  quiet  happi 
ness  which  she  wished  would  only  last  forever. 

"Your  cousin,  Letitia,  and  Mary  Moss  wish  to 
see  you,"  said  Sister  Louise,  entering  the  room. 

"I  will  neither  see  that  magpie  Mary  nor  that 
basilisk  Letitia,"  and  Grace  spoke  with  all  the 
imperiousness  which  the  indulgent  willfulness  of 
sickness  produces. 

"Well,  dear,  I  hope  you  will  see  them.  They 
will  be  so  disappointed  if  you  do  not,  for  I  told 
them  you  were  up." 

"No  matter,  I  will  not  see  them.  They  have 
disturbed  me  out  of  such  a  happy  reverie." 

"Dear  child,"  and  the  nun's  mild,  gray  eye 
beamed  with  heavenly  satisfaction,  "receive  them 
for  me." 

"I  hate  them ;  I  love  you,"  petulantly  responded 
Grace. 

"For  my  sake,"  added  Sister  Louise,  with  a 
look  of  entreaty. 

"Admit  them,  then." 

"My  dear  cousin,  how  bad  you  are  looking," 
said  Letitia  on  entering  the  room.  "Come,  you 
must  hurry  home.  It  is  no  wonder  you  look  so; 
penned  up  in  these  walls.  Come  home  with  me, 


374  THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT 

Some  one  is  anxiously  awaiting  you."  The  latter 
words  were  given  with  decided  emphasis  and  a 
significant  smile. 

"I  am  contented  here,"  answered  Grace  with 
a  frown. 

"Indeed,"  exclaimed  Mary  Moss,  "I  think  you 
are  looking  splendid,  considering  the  time  you 
have  been  sick.  It  speaks  well  for  your  kind 
nurse." 

"Words  cannot  express  what  I  feel  for  my 
friend,  Sister  Louise,"  said  Grace  tenderly. 

"But  how  can  you  stay  here  so  long?"  ques 
tioned  Letitia. 

"I  like  it  here.     This  tranquility  soothes  me." 

"But  the  world,  the  beautiful  world,"  sighed 
Letitia.  "But  to  enjoy  it  one  must  have  money." 

"Letitia,  if  you  had  wealth  and  power,  what 
would  you  be?" 

"No  doubt,"  sarcastically  responded  Letitia, 
"you  imagine  I  should  like  to  be  another  Cleo 
patra,  floating  in  a  barge  decorated  with  purple 
and  gold,  dissolving  pearls  at  banquets  with  a 
Mark  Anthony  at  my  feet,  whilst  kingdoms  were 
lost!" 

"It  makes  no  difference  what  I  think,"  said 
Grace  excitedly.  "Here  are  no  Caesars,  no  kings, 
no  nobles,  no  princely  merchants,  no  Demosthenes 
and  no  Cicero." 

"So,  my  dear  cousin  Grace,  as  they  are  not 
here,  as  you  say,  we  must  be  content  'to  make  a 
virtue  of  necessity/  "  replied  Letitia  mockingly. 
"It  is  dull  in  town,  but  how  incomparably  bright 
er,  gayer  and  happier  than  within  these  walls.  I 
shudder  to  think  of  living  behind  these  iron  grat- 


THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT  375 

ings,  bolts  and  bars.  It  is  a  living  tomb.  Dear 
me,  Sister  Louise,  you  will  have  to  excuse  me,  I 
forgot  you  were  here." 

"Do  not  mind  me." 

"Come,  Grace,  come  home  to  the  one,  to  all  of 
us  who  wait  for  you,"  said  Letitia. 

"Cousin,"  rejoined  Grace  in  her  tremulous 
voice,  "talk  not  to  me  of  the  world  with  its  hollow 
forms  and  conventionalities,  its  deceits,  mocke 
ries  and  sin.  Here  and  here  only  is  the  haven  of 
rest."  She  had  involuntarily  risen,  but  had  sunk 
back  with  the  last  words  into  the  depths  of  the 
arm-chair,  with  dilated  eyes,  parted  lips  and 
panting  breath. 

"This  excitement  is  too  much  for  her,"  added 
Sister  Louise.  "She  is  exhausted  now  and  I 
must  put  her  to  bed." 

"We  shall  leave,"  suggested  Mary  Moss. 

"Certainly,"  responded  Letitia.  "But  I  cannot 
see  why  our  talk  does  not  do  her  good.  We  shall 
come  again ;  good-bye,  Coz." 

"Thank  heaven  they  are  gone,  especially  that 
Letitia,"  muttered  the  nun. 

"You  have  placed  me  in  my  favorite  position 
again.  I  can  look  at  the  mother  and  child." 

"Imitate  the  love  and  goodness  that  picture  rep 
resents,"  gently  returned  Sister  Louise. 

"It  brings  seraphic  visions,  and  do  you  know 
whom  I  see?" 

"No,  dear,  I  do  not." 

"My  mother  in  heaven,  looking  down  and 
blessing  her  child !  Oh,  mother,  mother,  come." 
exclaimed  Grace  with  upturned  eyes. 

The  nun  crossed  herself  and  said  a  prayer. 
She  did  not  dare  disturb  this  ecstacy  with  a  word. 


376  THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT 


CHAPTER  XXXIV. 

"Do  you  know,  Mr.  Arnold,  what  Letitia  tells 
me?"  said  Mr.  Rheinberg  to  that  gentleman  as 
he  entered  the  parlor  to  spend  the  evening  with 
the  family. 

"No,  how  should  I?  Does  it  concern  Grace?" 
asked  Arnold  in  alarm. 

"Letitia,  tell  him,"  said  Mr.  Rheinberg. 

"Why,  father,  as  you  commenced  you  might 
have  finished.  Still,  I  shall  be  accommodating. 
I  know,"  continued  Letitia  with  a  smile,  "that 
you  are  eager  for  Mr.  Arnold  to  know  what  it  is, 
so  I  shall  come  to  the  point  at  once.  To  observe 
no  religion,  to  think  of  heaven  as  'such  stuff  as 
dreams  are  made  of,'  to  consider  ceremonies  or 
forms  as  mere  blanks " 

"The  point,  the  point,"  interrupted  Arnold. 

"Well,  I  was  coming  to  that.  Those  things  I 
said  appear  to  me  conscientious  and  right." 

"Who  cares,  but  to  the  point,"  growled  Arn 
old. 

"Well,"  replied  Letitia  undauntedly,  "I  con 
sider  myself  a  faithful  Jewess." 

"But  Grace,"  cried  Arnold,  fuming  with  rage. 

"Well,  I  do  not  want  her  to  become  a  Catho 
lic,"  said  Letitia  laughing. 

"Gracious  heaven,"  exclaimed  Arnold,  pale 
with  anguish,  "I  have  been  here  almost  daily  since 


THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT  377 

the  illness  of  Grace,  and  begged  of  you  all  to 
bring  her  home.  What  I  apprehended  will  come 
true." 

"She  shall  be  removed  to-morrow,"  said  Mr. 
Rheinberg  excitedly. 

"Remember,  you  said  that  once  before,  and 
what  was  the  result?"  asked  Arnold. 

"You  must  go,  dear  Joseph,  to  that  headstrong 
girl.  I  can  do  nothing  with  her.  You  should 
have  gone  before,  and  as  you  are  her  uncle,  have 
forced  her  to  come  home,"  said  Mrs.  Rheinberg. 
As  she  experienced  the  twinges  of  conscience, 
she  was  anxious  to  divert  reproaches  from  being 
cast  on  herself  and  imagined  she  could  do  no  bet 
ter  than  attribute  the  blame  to  her  husband. 

"My  dear  sister  Ruth  in  heaven,  forgive  me 
for  my  neglect,"  groaned  Mr.  Rheinberg.  "Why 
did  I  leave  her  under  the  influence  of  that  soft 
and  loving  nun.  Grace,  Grace,  this  must  not 
be." 

"Don't  worry  yourself,  Joseph,"  resumed  his 
wife,  affected  by  his  misery,  "you  cannot  do  much 
with  that  stubborn,  ill-natured  girl.  Such  queer 
ideas !  Don't  like  my  children.  What  can  you 
expect  of  her?" 

"You  need  neither  fear  nor  grieve,  father. 
This  is  'a  tempest  in  a  teapot.'  They  will  not 
make  her  a  Catholic  to-night  nor  to-morrow. 
They  will  never  rush  things  in  that  manner." 

"Do  not  delay  one  hour,  one  minute,"  inter 
rupted  Arnold,  to  whom  the  very  ticking  of  the 
clock  announced  so  many  precious  moments  lost. 

"It  is  night  and  cannot  be  thought  of,"  added 


THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT 

Mrs.  Rheinberg,  "but,  Joseph,  go  early  in  the 
morning  and  force  the  girl  home." 

"No,  no,"  replied  the  more  cautious  husband, 
"I  will  on  my  knees  beg  her  to  come  home." 

"I  say  that  Grace  can  be  converted  to  any  re 
ligion.  Any  one  who  makes  the  effort  can  change 
her  opinions,"  continued  Arnold.  "She  never  had 
any  religious  instruction ;  you  are  all  descended 
from  the  ultramontane  Jews,  who  regarded  the 
slightest  deviation  from  the  Talmudical  laws  a 
heterodoxy.  Now  you  have  thrown  off  so  many 
restrictions  which  our  faith  entailed  that  you 
have  forgotten  what  they  are." 

"Ceremonies  are  nothing,"  returned  Mr.  Rhein 
berg. 

"But  they  are  the  shell  to  the  nut  and  preserve 
the  kernel  within.  The  blossoms  on  an  apple  tree 
should  attract  not  only  for  their  beauty  and 
fragrance,  but  for  what  they  will  produce.  They 
contain  the  seed  of  the  fruit.  While  we  dispense 
with  ceremonies  we  must  not  forget  those  good 
moral  truths  which  stand  the  test  of  reason  and 
time.  In  transplanting  plants  much  of  the  soil  is 
taken  with  them,  so  in  religion,  in  rejecting  what 
is  deemed  non-essential  we  may  discard  some 
thing  extremely  requisite." 

"But  Grace  should  know  that  she  is  born  of  the 
house  of  Israel  and  remember  the  teachings  of 
her  religion,"  said  Mr.  Rheinberg. 

"Adhere  to  what  she  has  not  been  taught! 
What  does  she  know  of  its  beauties  or  deformi 
ties?  She  may  have  heard  that  many  ceremonies 
have  been  lopped  off  and  forms  changed,  but 


THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURREN?  379 

whether  good  or  bad  substitutions  have  been 
made  she  does  not  know,"  added  Arnold. 

"Never  mind,  Mr.  Arnold,"  said  Letitia,  "we 
believe  in  God  and  have  the  essence  of  religion. 
Why  dive  down  into  metaphysical  abstractions? 
I  thank  God,  as  Gibbons  did,  that  I  am  'not  a 
savage  or  a  peasant.'  " 

"What  a  happy  disposition  you  possess,  Miss 
Letitia.  We  are  not  all  equally  fortunate.  Mr. 
Rheinberg,  you  will  not  forget,"  resumed  Arnold, 
rising  to  go. 

"Rest  easy.     I  shall  do  my  duty." 

"What  a  whirlwind  I  have  created,"  mentally 
exclaimed  Letitia.  "Why  must  conscience  prick 
me?  If  my  cousin  changes  her  faith,  what  is  it 
to  me?  If  she  should,  it  would  free  me  of  her 
presence  forever.  Fool,  when  shall  I  learn  wis 
dom  ?  I  am  turning  sympathetic  and  sentimental. 
Bah !  I  detest  that.  My  road  was  clear  and  with 
my  own  hands,  tongue  I  should  say,  have  I 
blocked  it." 

"Grace,"  said  Sister  Louise,  "some  one  in  the 
parlor  wishes  to  see  you." 

"Is  it  that  hateful  Letitia?  She  was  here  yes 
terday.  Must  she  come  at  ten  o'clock  in  the 
morning?"  answered  Grace  peevishly. 

"It  is  not  your  cousin,  but  your  uncle." 

"My  uncle?"  exclaimed  Grace,  fluttering  with 
pleasurable  anticipation.  "I  must  go  to  him." 

"Yes,  dear,  you  must  come  into  the  parlor.  I 
shall  go  with  you.  Take  my  arm." 

"How  you  tremble.    Are  you  unwell?" 


380  THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT 

"No,  come  on,"  and  the  sister  accompanied  her 
to  the  parlor. 

Grace,  before  she  was  fully  aware  where  she 
was,  found  herself  in  the  embrace  of  her  uncle. 
His  tears  mingled  with  hers  trickled  down  her 
cheeks. 

"How  long  since  I  have  seen  you,  Grace !"  and 
Mr.  Rheinberg  showered  kisses  upon  her. 

"You  have  not  seen  me  since  my  illness,  un 
cle." 

"No,  but  I  have  been  here  very  often  to  in 
quire  for  you.  Dear  child,  you  look " 

"Miserable,  you  would  say.  I  have  suffered 
much,"  answered  Grace,  weeping. 

"The  long  confinement  within  doors  has  helped 
to  make  you  look  so  poorly.  Dear  child,"  con 
tinued  her  uncle,  as  he  gently  seated  her.  "You 
have  been  away  from  us  long  enough ;  in  fact,  too 
long.  I  hope  you  are  ready  to  come  home  with 
me  to-day.  We  are  all  longing  for  you.  The 
little  ones  said  to  me,  'Be  sure  and  bring  our 
cousin  Gracie  home.' "  His  voice  was  touching 
in  its  love  and  pathos. 

Sister  Louise,  who  with  delicate  thoughtful- 
ness,  had  stood  in  the  embrasure  of  the  window, 
now  came  forward  and  hastily  said,  "Dear  Grace, 
I  shall  be  back  in  a  short  time,"  kissed  her,  and 
in  the  act  remarked  in  a  low  tone,  "Desert  not 
your  best  friend,"  and  glided  from  the  room. 

"Didn't  she  say  something  to  you  ?"  questioned 
Mr.  Rheinberg,  but  without  waiting  for  an  an 
swer  continued,  "I  do  not  like  these  soft,  quiet 
moving  women.  They  are  not  all  what  they 
seem." 


THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT  381 

"Forbear,  uncle.  You  know  them  not  when 
you  speak  so.  They  are  the  most  self-sacrificing 
women  in  the  world.  I  would  I  could  be  like 
them,"  and  Grace  looked  distrustfully  at  her 
uncle,  for  in  her  mental  condition  likes  or  dislikes 
are  very  easily  formed.  By  attacking,  Mr.  Rhein- 
berg  had  lost  ground  and  he  was  vexed  at  his 
indiscretion. 

"I  know  Sister  Louise  is  an  exception.  Come, 
come,  child,  I  wish  you  would  come  out  under 
the  blue  heaven  and  let  the  sun  shine  on  you  in 
love  and  pleasure." 

Grace  heard  the  word  "love"  and  conjectured 
Arnold  was  waiting  to  waylay  and  dog  her  foot 
steps.  "Why,  uncle,  I  have  the  sunniest  room 
in  the  world.  It  is  a  flood  of  sunshine.  I  have 
a  canary  bird,  too,  which  sings  more  sweetly  than 
any  prima  donna.  I  have  flowers  and  such  good 
books.  I  am  reading  Saint  Bruno  on  "The  De 
lights  of  Solitude."  I  have  rest,  too,  and  what 
more  can  poor  Grace  want?"  said  she  plaintively. 
"As  for  love,  I  have  buried  it.  I  will  have  none 
of  it.  It  has  been  to  me  like  the  apples  of  the 
Dead  Sea,  beautiful  to  the  eye,  but  ashes  to  the 
heart.  Uncle,  the  sight  of  your  dear  face  does 
me  good.  Come  often.  You  are  the  only  one 
of  the  outside  world  I  care  to  see.  I  am  con 
tent  here." 

"Dearest  girl,  do  not  say  so.  Get  your  hat  and 
cloak  and  let  us  take  a  walk.  Everything  in 
God's  creation  calls  us  out." 

"I  am  not  able  to  walk  yet.  When  I  am 
stronger,  Sister  Louise  will  take  me  around  these 
lovely  recreation  grounds  and  through  the  grape 


382  THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT 

vine  arbors.  Do  not  be  afraid,  good  man,  noth 
ing  is  left  undone  which  can  promote  my  rapid 
convalescence.  My  own  dear  mother  could  not 
do  more  for  me.  You  see,  though  I  am  growing 
physically  strong  rapidly,  my  head  cannot  do 
much  thinking,  and  I  want  to  be  quiet  until  it 
does.  I  shall  attempt  walking  in  the  garden 
very  soon." 

"Dear  niece,  get  ready.  I  was  afraid  you 
would  not  be  strong  enough  to  walk,  so  I  came  in 
a  cab  for  you.  Go  tell  the  good  Mother  to  bring 
in  her  bill  and  I  will  pay  it  in  coin.  No  sum  can 
be  too  much  as  long  as  you  are  well,  and  I  can 
have  you  once  more  with  my  family.  You  shall 
have  all  the  rest  you  want.  No  one,  upon  my 
word  of  honor,  shall  trouble  you." 

"Dear  uncle,  I  am  not  ready  to  go  yet.  I  must 
get  strong  first,  and  here  is  the  only  place  where 
I  can  get  well." 

"Come,  child,  you  would  not  stay  here  and 
have  it  said  that  you  were  neglected  by  your 
mother's  brother.  Come,  Grace,  time  is  precious. 
Your  aunt  and  cousin  await  you.  They  shall 
treat  you  well." 

"I  dislike  Letitia.  I  shall  stay  here,  where  com 
mands  are  not  required  that  I  shall  be  well  treat 
ed,  but  where  all  is  gentleness  and  love — emana 
tions  of  the  holy  spirit.  No,  I  shall  not  go,"  and 
Grace  spoke  with  a  firmness  which  her  uncle  had 
not  been  accustomed  to  hear  from  her.  "I  shall 
not  go,"  she  resumed  impetuously,  before  he  had 
time  to  recover  from  his  astonishment,  "unless 
my  kind  protectors  compel  me."  At  this  moment 
Sister  Louise  auspiciously  entered  the  room. 


THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT  383 

"Dear  friend,  thrust  me  not  forth  on  the  cold 
ness  of  my  relatives." 

"Thrust  you  forth,  dear  child,  never.  Remain 
with  us  as  long  as  you  will." 

"Then  it  shall  be  forever;  for  where  have  I 
met  with  such  uniform  kindness  since  my  parents' 
death  as  I  have  here?  This  is  an  abode  of  peace 
and  contentment." 

Mr.  Rheinberg  was  so  perplexed  and  embar 
rassed  at  this  unexpected  resolution,  that  he 
stared  first  at  the  girl,  then  at  the  nun,  and  let 
them  complete  their  compact  without  uttering  a 
word. 

"Come,  now,  Grace,"  said  he,  angry  that  he 
had  not  interfered  sooner,  "this  is  sheer  non 
sense.  I,  as  your  uncle  and  guardian — you  lack 
a  month  of  eighteen  and  are  still  a  minor,  you 
know — insist  upon  your  coming  home  with  me." 
Observing  her  frown  darkly,  he  continued,  "I 
beg  of  you,  I  pray  you  in  the  name  of  heaven,  on 
my  bended  knees,"  falling  on  them,  "to  come 
home." 

"You  are  not  my  guardian,  uncle.  Having  no 
property  left  me  by  my  parents,  the  court  ap 
pointed  none.  You  did  not  apply  for  the  guar 
dianship,  and  therefore  until  you  acquire  that 
right,"  returned  Grace  with  legal  acumen,  "you 
have  no  authority.  Should  you  obtain  that  sanc 
tion  I  should  return  here  as  soon  as  I  attained  my 
majority ;  so  I  beg  of  you  forbear  exercising  your 
right,"  then  suddenly  as  a  flash  of  light  she 
changed  her  tactics.  "Let  me  remain  here  a  few 
weeks  longer  until  I  grow  strong  and  then  I  may 
go.  What  is  the  harm  in  waiting  a  few  weeks  ?" 


384  THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT 

In  vain  Mr.  Rheinberg  alternately  stormed  and 
pleaded,  raved  and  wept.  One  look  of  approval 
from  Sister  Louise  could  counteract  a  thousand 
such  storms  and  entreaties. 

"Why,  Grace,  what  has  come  over  you?  You 
were  not  wont  to  be  so?" 

"Well,  uncle,  you  have  my  decision,"  said 
Grace  with  firmness,  in  which  might  already  be 
seen  the  strong  working  of  a  change. 

"I  had  no  idea,  my  dear  girl,  that  you  could  be 
so  stubborn." 

"Submit  to  my  terms,  uncle;  a  few  weeks  may 
work  a  revolution  in  my  mind." 

"I  pray  so,  child,"  and  Mr.  Rheinberg  left  the 
convent  overwhelmed  with  conflicting  emotions, 
not  knowing  whether  time  would  bring  in  a  sur 
render  or  defiance.  He  was  met  at  the  gate  by 
Arnold,  who,  unable  to  endure  the  suspense,  was 
outside  pacing  up  and  down  the  sidewalk,  hoping 
that  Grace  would  come  out  with  her  uncle. 

"Why,  man,"  ejaculated  Arnold,  "where  is 
she?  It  cannot  be  possible  that  they  will  not 
permit  her  to  leave !" 

"Permit  her?  Of  course  they  will,  but  what 
is  worse,  Grace  does  not  want  to  come.  She 
wishes  to  stay  with  them." 

"Impossible ;  that  is  witchcraft." 

"I  do  not  know  what  deviltry  it  is.  I  only 
know  the  girl  wants  to  stay  until  she  becomes 
strong,  and  at  the  end  of  a  few  weeks  give  me 
an  answer." 

"Great  heaven!  Are  we  to  sit  and  wait  in 
definitely  for  the  answer  of  that  foolish  girl  and 
allow  the  nuns  to  complete  the  work  they  have 


THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT  385 

so  well  begun  ?    I  shall  take  the  constable  and 
have  her  forcibly  taken  out." 

"You  will,  eh  ?  Are  you  her  guardian  ?" 

"No.  Curse  my  impotency,  but  you  are  her 
uncle  and  can  be  appointed  guardian,  and  remove 
her  from  that  restraint." 

"Fool!  I  tell  you  she  is  not  kept  against  her 
will.  It  is  of  her  own  accord  that  she  stays 
there." 

"I  shall  tear  down  the  walls  and  free  her  with 
my  own  hands,"  and  Arnold  ground  his  teeth  in 
rage. 

"Madman,  do  you  not  hear  it  is  her  choice? 
She  loves  the  nuns." 

"Drag  her  from  there.  If  you  do  not  she  will 
remain  forever;  a  premonition  bids  me  hasten, 
to  fly  and  save  her.  Why  wait  for  the  last 
chance?"  said  Arnold  huskily. 

"Come,  listen  to  reason,  man ;  sickness  has 
changed  the  girl.  Interfere  now  and  all  the  spir 
its  of  heaven  and  hell  cannot  persuade  her  to 
leave.  In  her  feeble  condition  I  would  not  dare 
use  force  if  I  could.  Let  us  wait  until  she  grows 
stronger,  then  she  may  be  sorry  for  her  stubborn 
ness  and  come  home." 

"But  she  may " 

"I  tell  you  we  must  wait,"  reiterated  Rhein- 
berg.  "It  is  the  best  plan  under  the  circum 
stances  to  leave  her  alone  for  a  while.  In  the 
meanwhile  none  of  my  family  shall  trouble  her." 

"And  I  am  bound  hand  and  foot,"  soliloquized 
Arnold,  "and  must  see  her  torn  from  me  forever. 
To  think  that  I  am  to  be  outwitted  by  fate  and 
that  chit  of  a  girl  maddens  me.  But  hold!  Fate, 


386  THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT 

do  I  say?  There  is  no  fate.  In  that  I  am  a  Sad- 
ducee  and  believe  all  things  come  to  me  as  I  use 
my  power  and  will.  My  will  is  to  have  Grace. 
Then  why  is  there  not  some  means  of  gaining 
possession  of  her?  By  the  power  eternal,  I  must 
and  shall  have  her." 

"Well,  mother,"  said  Letitia  to  Mrs.  Rhein- 
berg,  "have  you  been  in  town  and  seen  father?" 

"Yes,  I  have  seen  him.  Grace  won't  come 
home  now." 

"Let  her  stay  then.     Who  can  help  it?" 

"And  we  are  not  to  go  there  for  a  while,  but 
to  leave  her  in  peace  until  she  grows  strong. 
You  know  your  father  feels  dreadful  about 
Grace,  she  looks  so  thin  and  miserable.  Don't 
say  anything  to  make  him  angry." 

"Father  is  so  amiable  that  he  forgets  every 
thing  very  quickly ;  still,  under  the  circumstances, 
it  is  better  not  to  provoke  him." 

"Your  father  says  Arnold  is  like  mad." 

"Now,  mother,  there  must  be  some  subtle,  mys 
terious,  undefined  psychological  influence  about 
Grace,  for  sh&Js  not  brilliant,  she  has  no  intel 
lectual  attractions  or  exquisite  physical  grace." 

"It  is  you  who  have  a  figure  and  a  face,  and 
are  sharp  and  smart  and  beautiful,  my  darling." 

"Still,  mother,  Grace  has  captivated  three  of 
the  genus  homo." 

"What  is  that?" 

"I  mean  that  horrid  creature,  man,"  replied  Le 
titia,  laughing. 

"Who  were  the  three  after  her?" 

"Uncle  Henry,  before  he    died,    told    father 


THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT  387 

something  about  a  minister  loving  her ;  then  La- 
valle,  and  now  Arnold.  There  are  plenty  of  girls 
of  the  same  type  as  Grace  that  could  not  conquer 
one.  I  could  not  love  her  if  I  were  a  man;  she  is 
too  insipid." 

"I  don't  care  a  straw  for  such  faces." 

"But,  mother,  I  cannot  make  a  ripple  on  the 
placid  bosom  of  the  lake  of  love,  while  Grace  has 
stirred  the  mighty  depths  of  the  ocean.  Bitter, 
bitter  thought,"  sobbed  Letitia. 

"Your  time  will  come.  Never  fear,  dear," 
said  her  mother,  tenderly  stroking  her  jet  black 
hair. 

The  innocent  cause  of  all  this  commotion  sat 
white  and  feeble  in  her  chair.  "Sister  Louise," 
said  Grace  to  the  nun,  who  was  in  the  room, 
"come  here.  My  friends,  my  enemies  I  should 
say,  will  not  give  me  the  solitude  I  ask." 

"But  if  you  want  it,  you  shall  have  it." 

"Sister  Louise,  you  are  good.  Every  orphan 
child  in  the  convent  is  under  your  protection. 
You  soothe  their  little  heartaches,  dry  their  tears, 
bind  their  wounds  and  give  them  when  repulsed 
by  the  other  scholars  and  nuns,  love  and  kindness, 
which  are  as  necessary  to  some  natures  as  bread 
and  water.  Your  heart  is  so  large  it  has  a  niche 
for  all." 

"You  overrate  me,"  modestly  replied  the  nun. 

"For  me  you  have  deprived  yourself  of  rest 
and  comfort.  You  have  been  vigilant  and  untir 
ing  in  your  solicitude,  not  only  for  recovery,  but 
for  that  more  precious  thing — my  soul." 

"To  bring  my  own  soul  before  God  free  from 
rust,  pure  and  uncorrupted,  is  the  one  idea,  the 


388  THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT 

guiding  star  of  my  life,  but  to  save  yours " 

"You  would  endure  anything  with  pleasure,  I 
know,"  interrupted  Grace.  "I  believe  if  you 
were  called  upon  to  suffer  martyrdom  for  your 
religion,  you  would  go  with  the  same  heroic  indif 
ference  to  torture  as  Blandina  did,  whom  I  have 
been  reading  about.  She  went  to  her  death  're 
joicing  and  triumphing  as  if  invited  to  a  marriage 
supper,  not  as  going  to  be  exposed  to  wild 
beasts.'  You  are  too  good.  The  poor,  the  sick, 
the  afflicted,  the  dying  have  blessed  the  sweet, 
gentle,  pious,  good  Sister  Louise." 

"Grace,  to  do  a  good  action  I  would  go  far, 
but  to  save  a  soul — that  is,  to  bring  it  to  life 
everlasting — I  would  wade  through  oceans  of 
pain.  Grace,"  resumed  Sister  Louise,  "I  have 
not  sought  you,  though  you  have  been  my  dear 
est  friend  and  I  have  passionately  longed  for 
your  conversion.  A  series  of  misfortunes  has 
driven  your  frail  bark  into  this  harbor.  Am  I 
not  the  one  whom  an  inscrutable  and  an  omnisci 
ent  Providence,  in  His  goodness  and  mercy,  has 
called  upon  to  moor  my  waif  fast  into  the  har 
bor?  Shall  I  not  save  you  and  thus  perform  a 
most  pleasing  duty." 

"  Tis  well." 

"I  have  prayed  for  this  moment,"  said  Sister 
Louise  trembling  with  delight,  "Oh,  God,  how 
long.  I  thank  Thee,  it  has  come." 

"Dear  friend,"  added  Grace,  closing  her  eyes, 
"I  do  not  wish  to  leave  this  calm  asylum.  I  do 
not  wish  to  hear  the  noise  of  the  outside  world. 
What  shall  I  do  to  retain  my  present  ease  and 


THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT  389 

peace  of  mind?"  Poor  girl,  she  only  desired  ob 
livion. 

"Dearest  Grace,"  and  Sister  Louise  kissed  her 
wildly  and  rapturously,  "be  my  sister.  Come  into 
the  folds  of  our  holy  religion.  'Though  your  sins 
be  as  scarlet  they  shall  be  as  white  as  snow.' 
Your  past  actions  will  be  washed  with  the  holy 
water  of  baptism,  you  will  commence  life  anew." 

"Can  I  ever  be  like  you,  loving  and  beloved?" 

"You  will  be  better  than  I  am.  'Likewise  joy 
shall  be  in  heaven  over  one  sinner  that  repenteth, 
more  than  over  ninety  and  nine  just  persons, 
which  need  no  repentance.'  Angels  will  sing 
hymns  of  gladness  over  your  redemption.  No 
more  care,  no  more  sorrow." 

Grace  only  knew  that  she  loathed  the  idea  of 
going  back  to  "that  bedlam,"  as  she  called  her 
aunt's  house,  with  Arnold  occupying  the  back 
ground.  Here  was  her  release  and  here  would 
be  quietly  unraveled  the  web  of  her  destiny.  To 
remain  and  enjoy  mental  torpidity  and  anjesthe- 
sia  was  a  happiness  and  a  temptation  which  she 
could  not  withstand.  She  opened  her  eyes  and 
closed  them,  saying,  "Do  with  me  what  you  will, 
only  keep  the  noise  and  clamor  of  the  world 
away." 

Sister  Louise  again  embraced  her  with  the  ut 
most  fervor  and  was  immediately  on  her  knees 
asking  heaven  to  bless  her.  When  the  news  spread 
over  the  convent  there  was  joy  for  the  soul  to 
be  regenerated  and  redeemed  through  the  suffer 
ings  of  Christ,  and  each  sister  repeated  her  Ava 
Maria  and  Pater-noster  with  additional  devotion. 

Grace  gave  herself  up  to  the  guidance  of  her 


390  THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT 

new  spiritual  adviser  and  made  every  effort  tc 
prepare  for  her  conversion. 

"The  catechism  comes  back  without  much  exer 
tion,"  said  Grace  to  Sister  Louise,  "as  I  heard  it 
over  and  over  again  at  school." 

"It  will  not  be  necessary  for  you  to  overtask 
your  mind,  dear.  The  future  can  and  will  work 
admirably  in  the  direction  of  religious  instruc 
tion.  Do  you  not  find  many  beautiful  maxims 
and  precepts  in  the  New  Testament?" 

"Yes,  and  they  all  seem  so  new  and  applicable 
to  myself  that  my  heart  opens  to  their  beauty," 
said  Grace,  who  had  never  sat  at  the  feet  of 
Hillel,  Gamaliel,  Confucius  or  any  other  distin 
guished  divine  and  gathered  drops  of  wisdom 
from  them. 

"Do  unto  others  as  you  would  have  others  do 
unto  you." 

"Sister  Louise,  how  happy  I  should  have  been 
had  the  world  acted  in  such  good  faith  towards 
me." 

"Another  proverb  is,  'Blessed  are  the  pure  in 
spirit,  for  they  shall  see  God.'  " 

"And  I  shall  atone  for  my  wrong.  When  the 
messenger  of  death  comes  for  me  I  shall  see  God, 
shall  I  not?" 

"Indeed  you  will,  dear  Grace,  for  I  know  you 
will  be  a  zealous  Catholic." 

"That  I  will.  The  proverb,  'Blessed  are  the 
peace-makers,  for  they  shall  be  called  the  chil 
dren  of  God,'  deeply  impresses  me.  It  is,  indeed, 
a  holy  office.  If  some  one  had  stepped  in  between 
me  and  my  justly  offended  betrothed,  trans 
formed  tears  into  smiles,  brought  yeans  of  sun- 


THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT  391 

shine   in   lieu  of  misery  and   wretched   lives,   it 
would  have  been  indeed  divine." 

"But  you  will  be  happy  now.  Take  this  pre 
cious  ointment  to  your  soul,  'Blessed  are  they 
that  mourn,  for  they  shall  be  comforted.'  " 

It  was  a  warm  sultry  day  in  the  latter  part  of 
June  when  Grace  was  to  be  received  into  the 
Roman  Catholic  Church.  The  roses  with  their 
blood-red,  white  and  wellow  faces  were  in  full 
bloom,  the  sun  poured  down  his  rays  of  intense 
heat,  regardless  of  man,  beasts  or  plants. 

Grace  was  anxiously  waiting  to  go  through  the 
ceremony  to  bind  her  to  that  religion  of  which 
Christ  said,  "Upon  this  rock  I  will  build  my 
church,  and  the  gates  of  hell  shall  not  prevail 
against  it." 

Father  Knowen,  of  the  College,  and  Sister 
Louise  were  her  sponsors.  In  response  to  a  ques 
tion  by  the  priest,  Grace  selected  the  name  of 
Catharine  as  her  religious  one,  and  after  inter 
rogating  her  on  her  new  faith  and  receiving  the 
correct  replies,  he  made  the  sign  of  the  cross  upon 
her  forehead  and  breast.  A  grain  of  blessed  salt 
was  then  given  her,  followed  by  solemn  prayers 
and  exorcisms  to  cast  out  the  unclean  spirit  in 
her.  After  more  inquiries  and  answers  she  was 
anointed  with  the  holy  oil  and  the  words,  "I 
anoint  thee  with  the  oil  of  salvation  in  Christ 
Jesus,  our  Lord,  that  thou  mayest  have  eternal 
life.  Amen."  When  the  holy  water  was  poured 
over  her  three  times  "in  the  form  of  a  cross,"  the 
priest  at  the  same  time  said,  "I  baptize  thee  in 
the  name  of  the  Father,  and  of  the  Son,  and  of 
the  Holy  Ghost."  The  ceremony  was  concluded 


392  THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT 

with  the  words,  "Go  in  peace,  and  the  Lord  be 
with  thee.  Amen,"  and  the  new  convert  was 
taken  in  the  arms  of  Sister  Louise  with  emotions 
akin  to  ecstacy.  She  could  scarcely  believe  that 
what  she  had  yearned,  hoped  and  prayed  for  had 
come  to  pass. 

"You  passed  through  the  ordeal  with  a  calm 
ness  that  was  astonishing,"  said  Sister  Louise. 

"Thank  God  it  is  over.  Henceforth  no  one 
shall  tear  me  from  my  peaceful  retreat,"  re 
sponded  the  newly  made  Catharine. 

And  the  nuns  devoutly  added,  "Omnia  ad  dei 
gloriam." 


THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT  393 


CHAPTER  XXXV. 

"Glad  you  dropped  in,  Everard,"  said  Berk- 
hoff. 

"Too  bad  that  Mrs.  Silverbaum's  house  has 
been  burned;  uninsured,  too.  I  regret  it  espe 
cially  for  your  sake.  She  is  now  left  penniless. 
)  sympathize  with  you,  I  do  indeed.  Poor  fel 
low,  all  troubles  fall  on  you." 

"Ha,  ha!  he,  he!"  laughed  Berkhoff,  "it's  the 
best  thing  that  could  have  happened  for  me. 
You  see,  she  has  been  living  with  us  since  we 
have  gone  to  housekeeping — thanks  to  your  good 
ness — and  with  her  house  let  furnished  at  a  good 
price  she  felt  pretty  independent,  and  made  things 
uncomfortable  at  times.  She  hasn't  exactly  for 
given  me  yet  for  not  being  rich,  you  see,  but  now 
I  can  tame  the  old  lady  by  giving  her  just  as 
much  as  she  had  before.  I  am  prosperous  and 
will  take  care  of  her  with  pleasure." 

"She  was  opposed  to  you  when  you  lost,  but 
before,  when  she  thought  you  had  money,  she 
persuaded  her  daughter  to  listen  to  your  suit." 

"I  know,  but  then  I  cannot  be  too  kind  to  her, 
as  she  is  Rebecca's  mother.  Dear  Rebecca,  who 
would  not  give  me  up  when  I  was  poor." 

"There  are  few  Rebeccas,"  quietly  remarked 
Everard. 

"Don't  be  hinting,  I  remember  what  you  did 


394  THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT 

for  me,  but  come  now,  don't  yon  think  she  has 
a  big  heart?" 

"Indeed,  if  I  had  not  thought  so,"  replied  Ever- 
ard  seriously,  "I  should  not  have  induced  her  to 
be  true  to  her  promise." 

"I  knew  you  would  indorse  her.  I  want  to  tell 
you  some  good  news.  I  have  put  into  the  bank 
one  thousand  dollars  as  my  first  installment  of 
freedom." 

"You  are  free  now,  I  am  sure.  You  are  able 
to  pay  your  notes  as  they  fall  due ;  your  business 
is  increasing  and  if  things  continue,  and  you  live 
long  enough,  you  have  the  prospect  of  being  a 
rich  man,"  said  Everard  gayly. 

"Stop,"  responded  Berkhoff  earnestly,  "I  shall 
never  be  free  until  every  cent  of  indebtedness  is 
paid  off.  It  is  my  nightmare  and  I  must  get  rid 
of  it." 

"And  you  will.  No  fear.  Such  honest  souls  as 
you  must  succeed  with  the  great  wish  of  their 
hearts — to  have  unsullied  names." 

"Good-morning,  Mr.  Everard,"  said  Mrs.  Berk 
hoff,  gayly  tripping  in. 

"I  need  not  ask  you  how  you  are,  for  you  are 
as  blooming  as  a  rose,"  added  Everard  as  he 
warmly  shook  hands  with  her. 

"And  as  happy  as  a  sunflower." 

"Indeed  you  are  a  sunflower  to  me,  Rebecca. 
Is  mother  feeling  better  ?"  asked  Berkhoff  kindly. 

"No,  she  will  not  get  over  the  loss  in  a  hurry. 
She  grieves  all  the  more  because  the  insurance 
had  expired  just  the  day  before.  I  told  her  to 
renew  it.  Before  she  was  always  particular 
about  the  hour,  but  this  time  a  strange  fatality 


THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT  395 

kept  her  back.  I  have  worried  a  little  over  it 
myself,"  and  a  cloud  gathered  over  Mrs.  Berk- 
hoff's  face. 

"It  is  so  much  better,  you  little  fool,"  said  her 
husband  affectionately.  "You  can  give  her  every 
thing  and  show  how  good  you  can  be  to  her.  I 
will  be  a  son  to  her." 

"Good-day,  Mrs.  Bennett,"  said  Everard,  meet 
ing  her  in  the  street  and  inquiring  for  her  father. 

"I  have  just  come  from  the  house  and  was 
surprised  to  hear  that  he  had  gone  to  his  office. 
I  am  so  pleased." 

"Your  disposition  is  such,  madam,  that  it  is  a 
happiness  to  be  acquainted  with  you.  It  is  no 
compliment  that  I  am  paying  you,"  said  Everard 
as  he  observed  Mrs.  Bennett  color,  "only  a  just 
tribute.  Is  your  sister  well  ?" 

"No,  sir — yes,  I  mean,"  responded  Mrs.  Ben 
nett,  blushing  at  her  contradictory  remarks. 
"Good-day,  I  have  an  appointment  with  Mr.  Ben 
nett." 

"Amelia,"  mentally  exclaimed  Everard,  "this 
day  shall  decide  my  fate,"  and  he  walked  rapidly 
in  the  direction  of  Mr.  Hill's  house. 

Amelia  came  in,  looking  pale  but  majestic,  and 
he  said:  "I  thank  you  for  your  goodness,  Miss 
Hill." 

"For  receiving  you?  I  would  do  the  same  to 
any  other  gentleman,"  returned  she  coldly. 

"But  I  have  come  again  after  having  been  re 
pulsed." 

"That  is  your  own  affair,"  answered  Amelia 
haughtily. 


396  THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT 

"And  I  have  come  to  repeat  the  same  thing, 
Amelia,  I  love  you." 

Amelia  cast  down  her  eyes,  turned  very  white, 
but  made  no  reply. 

"What  does  your  silence  imply,  yes  or  no?" 
eagerly  asked  Everard. 

"It  is  neither.    I  said  nothing." 

"Then  you  do  not  care  for  me?" 

"I  did  not  say  so." 

,  "Then  you  bid  me  hope  and  make  me  one  of 
the  happiest  of  men,"  added  Everard,  springing 
to  his  feet  with  a  flushed  face. 

"You  know  I  do  not,  will  not,  let  myself  love 
you.  Leave  me  instantly,"  rejoined  Amelia  in  a 
burst  of  excitement. 

"I  must  not  leave  you  now.  Why  will  you  not 
love  me  if  you  can?" 

"Do  not  question  me,  do  not  probe  my  heart." 

"Then  you  do  love  me,  peerless  Amelia?"  said 
Everard  smilingly.  "Do  not  be  unreasonable. 
Why  not  respond  to  the  dictates  of  your  heart?" 

"I  must  not;  leave  me,  leave  me,  I  say,"  im 
plored  Amelia. 

"I  shall  go  if  you  command  me,  but  I  shall 
return  again,  and  again,  until  your  heart  over 
comes  all  scruples." 

"This  is  cruel,  Mr.  Everard.  These  scruples 
can  never  be  surmounted." 

"Amelia,  I  know  why  you  scorned  my  love  the 
other  time,  and  why  you  refuse  me  now.  I  do 
detest  to  say  it,  but  it  is  because  I  am  a  descend 
ant  from — because  I  am  a  Jew." 

Amelia  hung  her  head;  warm,  scarlet  blushes 
overspread  her  face. 


THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT  397 

"I  am  answered,"  said  Everard  mournfully. 
"Since  the  day  I  rescued  you  from  the  water  and 
your  dear  head  rested  on  my  shoulder,  I  have 
loved  you.  At  first  I,  too,  like  you,  had  religious 
scruples ;  then  my  love  increased  to  such  a  height 
that  it  overleapt  the  barrier  as  a  trifle.  My  love 
asked  no  more  questions.  It  said  nothing  about 
Jew  or  Gentile.  It  simply  said  imperiously,  "I 
want  Amelia,  a  human  being  like  myself,  subject 
to  nature's  laws  of  love  and  death.'  Amelia, 
answer.  Is  there  no  response  to  the  love  which, 
as  I  stand  here,  consumes  my  life?" 

"So  I  am  to  pay  with  my  hand  -for  the  life  you 
so  disinterestedly  rescued.  Your  demands  are 
high,  Mr.  Everard." 

"In  the  name  of  heaven  do  not  misunderstand 
me,  Amelia.  I  would  not  have  your  hand  unac 
companied  by  your  heart.  I  assure  you  if  any 
of  the  young  ladies  of  my  party  had  met  with 
the  same  accident  I  should  have  endeavored  to 
save  them  just  as  quickly." 

"Then  I  was  nothing  to  you?" 

"You  appealed  to  my  manhood  at  that  time  as 
all  women  do,  but  now  my  arms  would  be  gladly 
outstretched  to  keep  off  the  rough  winds  of 
heaven.  Your  gentle  nature,  your  firm  dignity, 
your  unsurpassed  moral  goodness,  to  say  nothing 
of  your  personal  loveliness,  drew  me  towards  you 
like  a  magnet  and  will  not  let  me  go.  Do  not 
deny  it,  I  am  your  affinity." 

"Dare  I  deny  what  you  say,  wise  discoverer?" 
said  Amelia  sarcastically. 

"I  do  not  mean  that  I  am  learned — 

"As   for  learning,  criticism,  and  refinement," 


398  THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT 

interrupted  Amelia,  "y°u  may  be  an  Aristarchus, 
for  all  I  know." 

"I  do  not  know  what  term  you  may  give  my 
feelings.  You  may  not  call  them  delicate.  If,  on 
analysis,  I  find  them  right,  I  indulge  them  and 
pursue  a  certain  course  to  attain  what  I  wish." 

"Are  you  always  successful?" 

"Heretofore  I  have  been.  I  have  overcome 
your  contempt,  I  have  gained,  I  hope,  your  es 
teem  and,  Amelia,  I  must  gain  your  love  or " 

"What,  die?"  replied  she  contemptuously. 

"No,"  answered  Everardwith  dignity,  "but  live 
to  see  my  brightest,  brightest  hopes  blasted,  my 
energies  wasted.  To  see  perhaps  vices  that  do 
not  now  exist  take  the  place  of  my  ambition  and 
worldly  expectations  for  the  future.  Would  not 
this  be  a  mortal  wound,  a  moral  of  death?  And 
you  do  love  me,  perhaps,  and  will  not  tell  me  so. 
Why  not,  answer  me?" 

"Not  to-day.     Another  time." 

"If  you  were  hungry  and  feverish,  and  a  clus 
ter  of  purple,  luscious  looking  grapes  were  near 
you,  what  would  you  do?" 

"I  should  pluck  them,"  said  Amelia  archly. 

"Put  yourself  in  my  place  and  think  how  fam 
ished  and  thirsty  my  soul  is  for  you.  Oh,  Ame 
lia,  be  true  to  yourself,  and  answer  the  prompt 
ings  of  your  heart.  Come  to  me ;  my  heart 
yearns  for  you." 

Amelia  slightly  inclined  her  head,  her  eyes 
drooped,  her  face  became  suffused  with  burning 
blushes.  Everard  drew  near,  but  Amelia,  with 
a  sudden  return  of  her  old  prejudice  and  with  a 
deep  shudder,  recoiled,  saying,  "Never." 


THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT  399 

The  shock  to  Everard's  pride  was  so  great  that 
he  was  overtaken  by  a  mighty  calm  and  rose  with 
all  the  dignity  of  a  Spanish  Don  and  said  coldly: 
"Miss  Hill,  allow  me  to  bid  you  good-bye." 

And  Amelia,  fearing  to  give  way  to  her  sup 
pressed  emotions,  saw  him  depart  without  a 
word. 


400  THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT 


CHAPTER  XXVI. 

Mr.  Rheinberg  was  leisurely  sipping  his  coffee 
and  eating  his  breakfast  this  tropical  June  morn 
ing.  The  excessive  heat  rendered  eating  an  ex 
ertion  and  caused  him  a  little  irritation  as  the 
steaming  food  added  to  his  discomfort. 

"Bon  jour,  papa.  II  fait  chaud  aujourd-hui, 
mais  vraiment,  Je  vous  aime,"  said  Letitia,  trip 
ping  in  with  her  morning  dress  of  white  cambric 
trimmed  with  ruffles  of  the  same  material. 

"Why,  Letitia,"  returned  her  father,  "you  look 
fresh  as  paint.  But,  for  heaven's  sake,  speak  in 
your  mother  tongue,  so  that  I  can  understand 
you." 

"Never  mind,  I  bring  you  a  tribute  of  love," 
and  she  placed  by  Mr.  Rheinberg's  plate  a  bunch 
of  the  most  beautiful  scarlet  geraniums. 

Mr.  Rheinberg  regarded  Letitia  affectionately 
and  carelessly  arranged  the  flowers  on  her  dress 
and  hair.  The  effect  was  admirable  and  she 
looked  superb. 

"Je  suie  charmante,  n'est  ce  pas?"  Letitia  gave 
her  father  one  of  her  bewitching  smiles.  He 
did  not  understand  her  words,  but  he  understood 
the  gestures  and  the  smiles  of  his  beautiful  child, 
and  to  him  she  was  everything. 

"Where  is  the  paper  to-day,  papa?  I  always 
glance  first  at  the  news  of  the  day,  though  the 


THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT  401 

events  of  this  town,  as  a  general  thing,  are  not 
very  exciting." 

Why,  child,  I  have  not  seen  it  this  morning. 
It  is  so  hot  that  all  I  can  do  is  to  eat  my  break 
fast,  without  thinking  of  anything  else.  Clara, 
another  biscuit,  please." 

Mrs.  Rheinberg  had  been  sitting  quietly  at  the 
table;  she  was  accustomed  to  see  her  daughter 
lavish  all  the  affection  she  had  to  bestow  upon 
her  husband. 

"I  do  wonder  if  these  mischievous  children 
have  not  taken  it  again.  I  told  Rachel  and  Wil 
lie  never  to  touch  it  before  I  was  through  with 
it,"  said  Letitia  crossly.  "It  is  such  a  pleasure  to 
read  and  eat  together." 

"Those  rogues !  I  will  have  to  put  them  in 
the  calaboose  if  they  do  anything  so  bad  again!" 
returned  her  father  half  ironically;  for  though 
he  was  swayed  by  his  daughter's  beauty  and 
talent,  his  heart  was  very  soft  where  his  smaller 
children  were  concerned. 

"Are  you  going  already?"  asked  Mrs.  Rhein 
berg  of  her  husband. 

"Yes,  I  must  hurry,  as  I  am  going  to-day  to 
Grace;  I  believe  by  this  time  she  will  be  strong 
enough,  and  think  and  hope  she  will  be  ready 
to  come  nome.  Letitia,"  continued  Mr.  Rhein 
berg  gravely.  "I  hope  I  have  not  spoken  in 
vain  about  the  treatment  of  your  unfortunate 
and  still  delicate  cousin.  For  the  sake  of  us  all 
I  hope  you  will  do  your  best." 

"Yes,"  spoke  her  mother,  "do  your  best.  You 
know  this  gossiping  town  has  already  something 
to  say." 


'4O2  THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT 

.     "What  a  bete  noir  I  must  be/'  replied  Letitia 
tartly,  and  grating  her  teeth.     "I  declare " 

Her  sentence  was  never  finished,  as  at  that 
instant  the  bell  was  rung  so  violently  that  it 
startled  the  whole  household  and  brought  them 
all  simultaneously — the  maid  included — to  the 
door.  There  stood  Arnold  with  a  newspaper 
clutched  in  his  trembling  hand,  his  face  having 
a  white  and  frightened  look. 

""Good     Lord,"     exclaimed    Mrs.    Rheinberg, 
"what  a  face  you  have!" 

"Why,  Arnold  man,  what  is  the  matter?"  said 
Mr.  Rheinberg  with  a  terrified  air,  for  fear  is 
as  contagious  as  small-pox.  "Come  in.  Chil 
dren,  go  to  your  breakfast."  Susan,  the  maid, 
wisely  inferred  that  her  presence  was  not  want 
ed,  obeyed  the  order  of  Mr.  Rheinberg  by  form 
ing  the  rear  of  the  retreating  column  of  chil 
dren. 

Arnold,  with  Letitia,  her  father  and  mother, 
were  quickly  seated  in  the  family  sitting-room, 
the  latter  three  eagerly  awaiting  what  was  to  fol 
low. 

"Here,"  remarked  Arnold,  as  with  a  shivering 
hand  he  gave  the  paper  with  a  marked  para 
graph  to  Mr.  Rheinberg.  who  glanced  at  it  in  a 
dazed  way  without  making  any  attempt  to  read 
it  aloud. 

"Father,  do  give  me  that  paper  and  let  me 
read  it.  I  am  almost  dying  to  know  what  it 
contains  to  affect  you  and  Mr.  Arnold  in  this 
terrible  manner,"  and  Letitia  rather  authorita 
tively  took  it  from  his  half-opened  hand.  She 
immediately  read  the  following  lines: 


THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT  403 


"CONVERSION   OF  A  JEWESS." 

"It  is  announced  that  the  daughter  of  the  late 
Mr.  Feld,  who  ended  his  life  in  so  tragic  a  man 
ner  some  twelve  months  ago,  was  converted  to 
the  Roman  Catholic  religion  the  day  before  yes 
terday.  The  young  lady  was  taken  ill  at  the  con 
vent  in  the  month  of  March  and  unable  to 
be  removed.  She  recovered,  but  becoming  at 
tached  to  the  sisters,  she  embraced  their  religion. 
The  appropriate  rites  took  place  in  the  chapel 
attached  to  the  convent  in  the  presence  of  the 
fathers  of  the  college,  sisters,  pupils  of  the  con 
vent  and  a  few  of  our  prominent  Catholic  citi 
zens.  Though  many  of  the  Jews  of  to-day  are 
indifferent,  both  in  practice  and  profession  of 
their  faith,  being  often  mere  deists,  yet  it  rarely 
occurs  that  any  become  proselytes  to  another 
religion. 

"The  congregation  of  the  Daughters  of  Zion, 
founded  in  Paris  in  1843  f°r  the  conversion  of 
Jews  and  for  the  care  of  newly  converted  Jew 
ish  children,  cannot  boast  of  being  a  success. 
Perhaps  their  reverence  for  the  antiquity  of  their 
creed  may  restrain  them,  but  at  all  events  their 
conversion  to  another  religion  is  very  rare.  It 
is  a  remarkable  and  notable  fact  that  when  con 
versions  do  take  place,  they  are  generally  from 
Judaism  to  Catholicism  and  vice-versa.  It  is  to 
be  hoped  that  Miss  Feld  will  find  in  her  adopted 
faith  that  peace  and  happiness  which  lately  she 
did  not  find  in  her  own." 

The  stillness  during  and  for  a  few  moments 


404  THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT 

after  the  reading  was  so  intense  that  it  was  pain 
ful.  It  was  as  if  a  bomb-shell  had  been  thrown 
into  their  midst  and  they  had  not  recovered  from 
the  explosion. 

"The  God  of  Israel  look  down  upon  us,"  cried 
Mrs.  Rheinberg. 

"God  forgive  me,"  exclaimed  her  husband. 

"What  is  to  be  done?"  said  Arnold,  who  was 
only  conscious  that  his  love  and  his  victim  were 
eluding  his  grasp. 

It  crossed  Letitia's  mind  that  her  selfishness 
from  the  Alpha  to  the  Omega  of  this  miserable 
affair  had  done  much  of  the  work.  But  so 
quickly  did  all  disagreeable  impressions  vanish 
that  she  was  ready  to  respond  to  Arnold's  ques 
tion  with  the  same  interrogation,  "What  is  to 
be  done?" 

"I  do  not  know  what  to  do,"  added  Mr.  Rhein 
berg.  "Grace  has  just  attained  her  majority; 
no  more  authority  can  be  used.  I  am  wild  with 
grief.  What  shall  we  do?" 

"I  told  you  not  to  leave  her  there,"  groaned 
Mrs.  Rheinberg,  sitting  on  a  low  stool  and  rock 
ing  herself  to  and  fro.  "We  will  mourn  for 
her  as  though  she  were  dead." 

Arnold  and  Letitia  gave  her  a  disdainful  smile 
in  reply. 

"You  miserable  women,"  shouted  Mr.  Rhein 
berg,  aroused  and  fairly  beside  himself  with 
anger,  "you  are  the  cause  of  it,  as  you  women 
are  of  all  trouble  under  the  sun.  Where  she 
should  have  found  love  and  tenderness,  what  was 
there  but  dislike  and  coldness?" 

"Cease     these     foolish     bickerings,"     remon- 


THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT  405 

strated  Arnold,  endeavoring  to  compose  himself. 
"Do  I  not  feel  the  teeth  of  the  sword?  Let  us 
to  work.  Every  moment  lost  strengthens  her 
and  them."  The  last  word  referred  to  the  nuns 
and  was  spoken  with  concentrated  vindictive- 
ness. 

"No  need  to  hurry  now.  No  flank  movement 
can  or  will  dislodge  Grace.  Take  my  word  for 
it,  she  is  irrevocably  lost  to  us.  She  is  of  age; 
compulsion  cannot  be  used,  and  if  it  could,  upon 
leaving  the  convent  she  would  remain  a  Catho 
lic  anyway.  As  the  home  of  so  many  prominent 
persons  of  that  creed  will  be  offered  her,  she 
will  not  be  likely  to  stay  in  this  humble  home  of 
ours,"  and  Letitia  gazed  on  her  surroundings 
with  a  mournful  air. 

"Never  mind  what  she  will  do.  Bring  her 
out  of  the  convent.  The  influence  of  her  rela 
tives  and  those  who  love  her  must  cause  the 
revocation  of  a  faith  she  does  not  understand. 
Bring  her  out,  bring  her  out!"  vehemently  reit 
erated  Arnold. 

"Grace  does  not  understand  the  doctrines  of 
any  religion.  And  are  you  the  lover  into  whose 
outstretched  arms  she  is  to  fall  and  whose  elo 
quent  tongue  is  to  lead  her  back  to  Judaism?" 
and  Letitia  regarded  him  with  a  contemptuous 
smile. 

"That  girl's  scorn!  By  heaven  I  will  teach 
her  to  laugh  and  sneer  at  my  enthusiastic  love," 
and  the  angry  blood  leapt  into  Arnold's  dark 
face. 

"Come,  no  wrangling  now,"  said  Mr.  Rhein- 
berg,  perceiving  the  man's  surging  passion.  "I 


406  THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT 

am  going  to  the  convent,  find  out  all  I  can  and 
see  if  anything  can  be  done." 

"We  must  come  out  victorious.  I  shall  ac 
company  you  to  the  convent  gate,"  said  Arnold, 
forgetting  Letitia's  remarks. 

The  sun,  which  had  been  shining  in  unrivaled 
splendor,  was  suddenly  obscured  by  a  dark, 
heavy  cloud  rising  in  the  southwest,  the  light 
ning  commenced  to  play  and  the  thunder  to  roll. 
The  elements  were  in  unison  with  the  wrathful 
spirits. 

"God,  that  I  had  the  strength  of  Samson," 
prayed  Arnold  in  his  rage,  "that  I  could  slaugh 
ter  the  nuns,  demolish  the  convent  and  carry  off 
the  fair  Catholic.  Ah,  fair  Catholic,  what  avails 
the  power  of  a  Liliputian  against  the  Brobding- 
nagians  ?" 

"I  hope  for  the  best  and  fear  the  worst,"  said 
Mr.  Rheinberg,  as  his  heart  rose  and  sank. 

"The  poor  human  mind  will  cling  to  hope  as 
the  drowning  mariner  to  a  plank,  and  hug  it 
long  after  rescue  is  impossible.  Its  dreams  paint 
a  fairy  picture  with  Grace  returning  as  my  will 
ing,  happy  bride,  and  the  background  filled 
with  serene  smiling  faces.  Hope  is  the  elixir 
vitae.  But  these  horrible  convent  walls  dissolve 
my  charming  drawing,"  said  Arnold,  stamping 
and  cursing. 

"Quiet,  Arnold,  quiet." 

"Now  that  you  are  here,  you  must  and  shall 
bring  Grace  out,"  gesticulated  Arnold  wildly. 
"I  shall  wait  outside." 

Mr.  Rheinberg  was  so  confused  when  in  the 
nun's  parlor  he  scarcely  knew  how  to  proceed. 


THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT  407 

"Can  I  see  my  niece?"  he  asked  of  the  portress. 

"Certainly,"  answered  the  nun  without  a  mo 
ment's  hesitation. 

"Grace,"  said  her  uncle  as  she  came  into  the 
room,  "what  have  you  done?  I  beg  of  you,  with 
tears  in  my  eyes,  to  come  back  to  your  home  and 
to  your  religion." 

"Impossible,  uncle." 

Mr.  Rheinberg  threatened  and  commanded  in 
a  hundred  intelligible  and  unintelligible,  coherent 
and  incoherent  sentences. 

"Not  only,  dear  uncle,  will  I  not  retract,  but 
I  am  firmly  resolved  to  remain  where  I  am  for 
the  present." 

"Grace,  you  cannot  mean  it." 

"I  do,  uncle.  There  is  no  hesitation  on  my 
part  now,"  replied  his  niece,  who  had  wrought 
herself  up  to  a  high  pitch  of  inflexibility.  "I 
shall  never  abjure  the  creed  I  have  taken  up. 
When  I  am  perfectly  strong" — she  always  fell 
back  on  her  weakness — "I  shall  decide  what 
course  of  life  is  best  for  me  to  pursue.  The 
nuns  have  kindly  offered  me  this  asylum  and  I 
have  accepted  it." 

"Bitter  hour!  Ruth,  Ruth,  what  has  come 
over  your  child?"  sobbed  Mr.  Rheinberg. 

"Dear  uncle,  spare  me  those  tears.  I  know  my 
mother  in  heaven  is  satisfied.  I  love  you  dearly, 
but  I  shall  never  go  back  to  your  house.  I  bear 
no  ill-will  to  any  one  in  the  world,  thanks  to 
my  religion,  which  bids  'Love  your  enemies  and 
pray  for  those  who  persecute  you.'  Bid  me  a 
loving,  not  an  eternal,  farewell.  You  will  come 
to  see  me  again  when  you  feel  more  loving  and 


408  THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT 

more  forgiving  towards  me.  That  time  will 
come,  for  I  shall  pray  for  you."  Grace  spoke 
sweetly,  but  in  a  dignified  and  composed  man 
ner.  Withal  she  appeared  so  spiritual  in  her 
plain  black  dress,  short  golden  hair,  combed 
straight  back,  the  blue  veins  on  her  forehead 
revealing  their  network  through  her  transpa 
rent  skin,  that  her  uncle  despaired  of  her  return. 
He  was  conscious  that  a  change  had  come  over 
her  in  will  and  spirit,  since  she  had  been  in  the 
convent. 

"Arnold,"  said  Rheinberg  when  he  came  out 
of  the  building,  "Why  rave  and  swear  like  a 
trooper?  I  cannot  force  her  from  the  convent." 

"Have  you  wept,  pleaded,  menaced?" 

"I  have  done  all  I  could.  My  heart  is  sore 
enough  for  what  I  am  answerable  to  God  and  to 
my  dear,  dead  sister." 

Arnold,  after  he  had  gone  a  few  steps,  rushed 
back  to  the  convent,  notwithstanding  the  remon 
strances  of  Mr.  Rheinberg,  and  knocked  loudly 
for  admittance.  He  took  pleasure  in  thunder 
ing  at  the  gates  and  shaking  his  fists  at  the 
walls,  which  mocked  and  derided  him  with  their 
dark  stare.  The  portress  refused  him  entrance. 
He  was  compelled  to  give  himself  up  to  his  fu 
rious  rage  and  uncontrollable  anger,  which  even 
the  falling  rain  did  not  dampen. 

"Mrs.  Rheinberg,"  said  Arnold  on  meeting 
that  lady  and  Miss  Letitia,  "you  must  do  me  the 
favor  to  go  and  see  what  can  be  done." 

"It  is  pouring  down  rain,"  exclaimed  Letitia. 

"My  dear  young  lady,"  replied  Arnold  sneer- 
ingly,  "I  assure  you,  you  will  not  dissolve." 


THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT  409 

"Why,  Mr.  Arnold,  being  sugar  I  thought  I 
might.  But  to  accommodate  you  I  shall  go. 
Come,  mother,  let  us  take  our  umbrellas  and 
trudge  to  the  convent." 

After  an  hour's  absence  the  two  women  re 
turned  with  dripping  garments.  "What  a  girl!" 
cried  Letitia.  "I  exerted  all  my  powers  of  per 
suasion  to  induce  her  to  come  back  and  recant, 
I  wept,  threw  myself  on  my  knees,  appealed  to 
the  living  and  the  dead." 

"So  did  I,"  added  Mrs.  Rheinberg. 

"She  grew  paler  and  paler,"  returned  Letitia, 
"but  her  resolution  never  forsook  her.  Her  an 
swers  were  always  a  decided  negative." 

The  clouds  shut  in  the  horizon,  the  rain  fell 
in  torrents,  the  wind  blew  fiercely  and  every  ob 
ject  reflected  a  double  gloom  in  the  Rheinberg 
dwelling,  but  what  was  that  in  comparison  with 
the  dark,  dismal  thoughts  of  the  three  most 
deeply  interested  in  Grace? 

After  repeated  failures  to  bring  the  girl  home, 
the  cry  still  was:  "Go  again."  Grace,  who  al 
ways  detested  scenes,  was  daily  sent  for,  im 
plored  and  beseeched  to  retract  and  come  home. 
Arnold  invariably  accompanied  everyone  of  the 
Rheinberg  family  to  the  convent  gate  and  wished 
to  drag  her  out  nolens  volens.  One  day  he  actu 
ally,  by  some  stratagem,  intruded  himself  into 
her  presence,  where  her  aunt  was  persuading 
her  in  a  low  monotone  to  come  home.  He  sprang 
at  Grace,  who  shrieked  at  his  touch.  She  would 
have  swooned  into  his  arms  had  not  the  nuns 
hastened  in  at  the  alarm. 

"The  devil!"  said  Arnold  as  he  beat  a  hasty 


THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT 

retreat.  "If  it  had  come  to  a  pitched  battle  those 
hags  would  have  fought  fiercely  as  a  band  of 
Amazons  and  vanquished  me,  too !" 

"Sister  Louise,"  said  Grace,  after  the  intended 
violence  of  Arnold,  "the  daring  invasion  of  that 
man  has  brought  things  to  a  climax.  Catholi 
cism  has  provided  me  with  a  charming  place  of 
solitude,  with  ease  and  comfort,  but  it  has  not 
procured  me  what  I  most  desire — perfect  free 
dom  from  intrusion." 

"Dearest  Catharine,"  said  the  nun,  calling  her 
by  the  baptismal  name,  "you  have  only  to  fol 
low  the  desire  you  have  so  long  nourished  and 
become  one  of  us." 

"Yes,  to  be  one  of  the  sisterhood  has  from  a 
little  seed  now  developed  into  a  full-grown  flow 
er.  I  now  choose  the  vocation  with  my  whole 
heart  and  soul." 

"The  vows,  dear,  which  are  to  bind  you  to 
this  community,  are  simple  and  easy.  The  prin 
ciple  ones — in  fact  they  are  all — are  chastity, 
poverty,  and  obedience." 

"Dear  Sister  Louise,  I  can  keep  them  very 
easily.  Marriage  is  blotted  out  from  the  map 
of  my  life;  to  be  poor  is  not  changing  my  condi 
tion,  and  I  am  more  than  content  to  follow 
faithfully  the  regulations  and  laws  of  order. 
I  am  now  ready  to  conform  to  all  things,  and 
eager  to  enter  upon  my  duty  as  a  postulant." 

Sister  Louise  apprised  the  Bishop  of  Catha 
rine's  intentions.  He  came,  questioned  her,  and 
ascertaining  that  she  was  resolved  upon  the  step, 
gave  her  his  approval  and  blessing. 


Catharine,  with  her  plain  black  dress,  now 
wore  a  white  cap. 

"Dear  Catharine,"  said  Sister  Louise,  "my 
heart  bounds  with  joy.  The  very  acme  of  my 
wishes  are  soon  to  be  fulfilled." 

"I  am  glad  I  can  remain  here  with  you,  in 
stead  of  going,  as  so  many  of  the  postulants  and 
novices  do,  to  the  mother  home  in  Kentucky." 

"I  did  not  go  there,  either,"  returned  the  nun. 
"Mother  Therese  says  you  are  not  to  teach,  as 
you  are  not  strong  enough.  You  have  only  to 
attend  to  your  religious  exercises  and  works  of 
devotion." 

"My  heart  swells  with  enthusiasm  as  I  think 
of  the  holy  course  before  me." 

"Your  friends  come  regularly  every  day  and 
demand  admittance,  Catharine." 

"They  may  come,  but  they  must  go.  I  expe 
rience  the  force  of  Christ's  saying,  'And  Jesus 
said  unto  them,  verily  I  say  unto  you,  that  ye 
which  have  followed  me  in  the  regeneration 
when  the  son  of  man  shall  sit  on  the  throne  of 
his  glory,  ye  also  shall  sit  upon  twelve  thrones, 
judging  the  twelve  tribes  of  Israel.  And  every 
one  that  has  forsaken  houses,  or  brethren,  or 
sisters,  or  father,  or  mother,  or  wife,  or  chil 
dren,  or  lands,  for  my  name's  sake  shall  receive 
a  hundred- fold,  and  shall  inherit  everlasting 
life.'  " 

"Ah,  Catharine,  you  are  a  jewel,  'a  pearl  above 
price.'  " 

Days,  weeks  and  months  drifted  by.  Though 
Arnold's  design  was  always  baffled,  and  seemed 
less  and  less  realizable,  still  he  clung  to  it  as 


412  THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT 

tenaciously  as  the  alchemist  to  the  chimerical 
idea  of  the  transmutation  of  the  baser  metals 
into  gold.  Letitia  was  the  ignis- fatuus  that 
drew  him  on.  When  he  was  despondent  and 
dejected  she  would  soothe  him  with  fresh  hopes, 
and  his  thirsty  soul  saw  water  and  green  fields 
in  the  distance. 

"How  I  dislike  these  dark,  short  days  of  De 
cember,"  said  Letitia. 

"Yes,"  replied  Arnold,  who  was  now  a  daily 
visitor  at  Mr.  Rheinberg's  house,  "they  remind 
me  that  the  months  are  slipping  by  and  nothing 
done.  We  ought  to  pursue  that  girl  more 
closely." 

"That  we  should,"  added  Letitia,  endeavoring 
to  humor  him,  "we  should  torment  them  a  little." 

"Miss  Letitia,  you  are  the  caryatid  to  my 
trouble.  I  thank  you.  When  your  father  and 
mother  will  not  countenance  my  plans  for  res 
cuing  Grace,  and  no  doubt  regard  them  as 
quixotic,  you  are  always  ready  to  give  me  en 
couragement  and  sympathy." 

"Mr.  Arnold,  I  would  do  anything  in  my  pow 
er  to  accomplish  your  wish.  You  seem  so  at 
tached  to  Grace,  and  so  melancholy  without  her 
that  I  pity  you." 

"I  can  only  repeat  my  thanks." 

"Do  you  know,  father  will  not  allow  her  room 
to  be  occupied.  He  thinks  she  may  yet  return. 
Every  evening  he  goes  in ;  of  course  he  finds  it 
vacant,  and  does  it  noiselessly  as  if  in  fear  of 
waking  some  one." 

"She  will  never  return  voluntarily,  I  fear," 
sighed  Arnold. 


THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT  413 

"That  is  what  mother  and  I  say.  Mother 
grumbles  because  the  children  are  a  little  crowd 
ed;  but  no,  that  room  must  be  kept  just  so." 

"Just  so,"  repeated  Mr.  Rheinberg,  entering 
the  room,  "but  I  am  going  once  more  for  her 
and  then  no  more,  nevermore." 

"Why,  it  is  night,  the  sun  is  down;  the  nuns 
will  not  admit  you." 

"I  think  they  will.  It  is  not  late.  I  feel  the 
wish  so  strong  upon  me  that  I  must  go.  Arnold, 
don't  come  along  to-night.  Maybe  I  will  have 
better  luck  if  you  are  not  outside,  knocking 
and  pounding  at  the  walls." 

"Stay  here  till  father  comes  back." 

"Go  on  then,  Rheinberg,"  responded  Arnold. 

Quiet  reigned  in  the  convent  when  Sister  Lou 
ise  said,  "Catharine,  there  is  some  one  to  see 
you." 

"Why  not  give  the  usual  answer?" 

"It  is  your  uncle,  and  he  insists  upon  seeing 
you." 

"So  late;  shall  I  go?" 

"As  you  will,"  answered  the  nun  softly. 

"I  think  I  shall  go  down  and  see  him.  I  shall 
not  be  gone  long,"  and  she  threw  a  black  shawl 
over  her  head  which  concealed  her  cap.  With 
a  tearful  eye  and  trembling  heart  she  went  into 
the  parlor. 

"Dear  Grace,"  said  Mr.  Rheinberg,  with  out 
stretched  arms. 

"Uncle,"  said  his  niece,  rushing  into  his  em 
brace  and  sobbing  as  if  her  heart  would  break, 
"this  must  be  a  final  good-bye." 


4 i4  THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT 

"Why,  child,  from  your  crying  I  thought  yoti 
were  sorry,  and  would  come  home  with  me  and 
ease  my  aching  heart." 

''Uncle,  no  more  must  your  dear,  entreating 
voice  appeal  to  me.  All  is  changed.  Our  faiths 
are  different,  our  roads  in  life  separate,  there  is 
no  more  journeying  on  the  same  path.  I  am 
no  longer  Grace,  but  Catharine,  the  postulant/' 
and  she  let  the  shawl  fall  from  her  head. 

"What  is  this?"  cried  Mr.  Rheinberg,  while 
his  courage  oozed  through  the  pores  of  his 
body. 

"This  is  the  postulant's  cap.  I  am  on  proba 
tion — trial  it  means,  uncle.  When  I  take  the 
vows  and  the  funeral  bell  tolls,  it  will  be,  'Surge 
qua::  dormis  et  exurge  a  mortuis  et  illuminabit 
te  Christus.'  I  must  chide  myself  for  these  tears, 
they  are  weak  murmurings  that  I  love  you,  that 
I  am  still  attached  by  the  bonds  of  sympathy  to 
earthly  things.  I  must  strangle  these  rising 
emotions;  my  tears  must  be  repressed,"  and  she 
drew  herself  up  erect  and  stood  before  her  un 
cle,  pale  and  feeble,  indeed  physically,  but  as  her 
white,  closely  compressed  lips  denoted,  resolutely 
firm. 

"Grace,  dear,  you  don't  want  to  make  my 
heart  grow  cold.  You  still  have  time." 

"I  know,  but  I  do  not  wish  to  leave.  It  is 
no  use  talking  so  to  the  novice-elect  Catharine." 

"Grace,  take  pity  on  your  wretched  uncle," 
and  he  kissed  her  pale,  cold  brow. 

"Uncle,  I  must  go." 

"Without  returning  the  kiss?" 

"It  is  better." 


THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT  415 

The  postulant  tottered  out  of  the  parlor  to  her 
room,  threw  herself  on  the  bed,  exhausted  and 
faint.  Tears,  blessed  tears  came  to  her  relief. 

"It  is  the  law  of  our  natures  that  fits  of  ex 
citement  shall  be  followed  by  fits  of  remission." 
The  postulant  was  now  paying  that  penalty. 

The  constellations,  Ursa  Major  and  Ursa  Mi 
nor,  always  visible  in  the  northern  hemisphere  ; 
Taurus,  with  his  eye  Aldebarah,  looking-  very  red  ; 
Arcturus,  the  proud  hunter;  Sirius,  his  canine 
highness,  emitting  a  silvery  and  sparkling  light; 
Orion,  king  of  the  heavens,  with  a  gem  in  each 
shoulder,  three  precious  stones  in  his  belt  and  a 
solitaire  in  each  foot;  all  shone  with  unusual 
splendor.  The  pale,  argent  moon  which  threw 
her  mellow  radiance  over  the  earth,  transform 
ing  hideous,  ungainly  sights  into  things  of  beau 
ty,  cast  her  soft  shadow  over  Mr.  Rheinberg  as, 
with  faltering  steps,  he  went  home  from  the  con 
vent.  A  person  on  the  other  side  of  the  street 
could  not  discern  whether  his  mouth  contracted 
with  emotions  of  pain  or  pleasure,  whether  the 
drops  that  fell  from  his  eyes  were  tears  or 
pearls.  He  lifted  his  head,  a  meteor  flashed 
across  the  sky,  he  thought  of  God,  who  stands 
above  and  holds  in  the  hollow  of  His  hands  the 
firmament,  and  there  arose  in  his  heart  the 
prayer  and  hope  that  no  tear  falls  from  human 
agony  without  being  treasured  in  heaven  and 
paid  hereafter  in  a  ten-fold  compensation  of 
bliss. 


416  THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT 


CHAPTER  XXXVII. 

''Bah!"  said  Arnold  as  he  came  into  the  cozy 
sitting-room  of  Mrs.  Rheinberg,  "this  is  Janu 
ary  with  a  vengeance;  wind,  snow  and  ice.  I 
tell  you  to  sit  around  this  fire  is  comfort." 

"Take  this  easy  chair,"  said  Letitia,  rolling 
up  to  the  fire. 

"This  is  enjoying  the  dessicated  fruits  of  the 
year,  is  it  not?"  inquired  Arnold,  glancing  at 
Letitia. 

"Such  results  come  from  planting  and  har 
vesting,"  answered  she,  without  raising  her 
head. 

"Ah,  Arnold !"  dolefully  exclaimed  Mr.  Rhein 
berg,  "Grace  is  beyond  reach." 

"Indeed  she  is.  The  time  you  came  home  and 
told  me  she  was  a  postulant  I  had  little  hope,  but 
when  it  was  announced  yesterday  that  she  had 
taken  the  black  and  white  veil  and  commenced 
her  novitiate,  I  knew  it  was  the  death-knell  to  my 
hopes." 

"As  the  bride  of  Jesus,"  returned  Letitia,  "con 
sole  yourself  with  the  reflection  that  no  earthly 
bridegroom  can  ever  claim  her." 

"Yes,"  pursued  Arnold,  "it  would  be  useless  to 
talk  of  never  yielding.  Grace  is  dead  to  all 
others  as  well  as  to  me." 

"One  thing  I  cannot  understand — that  is  your 


THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT  417 

philosophy  in  being  so  quickly  reconciled.  I 
thought  you  never  would  or  could  be." 

"My  dear  Miss  Letitia,  I  shall  quote  Scrip 
ture  for  you,  which  is  applicable  in  my  case. 
When  David's  child  was  very  sick  he  was  so 
grieved  that  the  servants  feared  to  tell  him;  but 
when  David  heard  that  the  child  was  dead  he 
was  himself  again.  'Then/  said  his  servants 
unto  him,  'what  thing  is  this  that  thou  hast 
done?  Thou  didst  fast  and  weep  for  the  child 
while  it  was  alive,  but  when  the  child  was  dead 
thou  didst  rise  and  eat  bread.  And  he  said, 
'While  the  child  was  yet  alive  I  fasted  and  wept, 
for  I  said,  Who  can  tell  whether  God  will  be 
gracious  to  me,  that  the  child  may  live?  But 
when  he  is  dead,  wherefore  should  I  fast?  Can 
I  bring  him  back  again  ?'  " 

"Well  spoken,"  said  Mrs.  Rheinberg,  "you 
know  everything  by  heart." 

"You  are  very  clever,"  added  her  husband. 

"And,"  continued  Arnold,  "I  say  nothing  of  a 
dark-eyed  beauty,  with  lips  of  coral  and  cheeks 
of  carnation." 

"I  hope  you  do  not  mean  to  insinuate  that  I 
have  thrown  an  invisible  net  over  you,"  said 
Letitia,  laughing. 

"I  am  non-committal,"  and  Arnold  bowed. 

One  day  in  March,  some  few  months  after 
Grace  had  taken  the  vows  of  a  novice,  Letitia 
and  Arnold  took  a  walk  in  the  suburbs  of  the 
town.  He  had  met  her  cousin  there  one  year 
ago,  and  the  trees  of  the  orchards  were  now  as 
denuded  of  foliage  as  they  were  at  that  time. 

"How  bare  the  trees  look,"  said  Arnold,  "but 


418  THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT 

in  a  few  weeks  a  change  will  take  place,  vegeta 
tion  will  spring  up  on  every  side,  manifesting 
that  out  of  death  comes  life." 

"I  love  spring.  The  weather  has  moderated 
so  much  that  the  birds  are  returning." 

"Letitia,  let  us  heed  the  whisperings  of  na 
ture  and,  like  the  birds,  make  love  in  spring 
time." 

"You  shock  me.  I  am  totally  unprepared  for 
such  a  proposition,"  and  Letitia  looked  in  the 
distance. 

"My  dear  girl."  responded  Arnold,  "I  wish  to 
take  advantage  of  this  opportunity.  Opportuni 
ty  develops  greatness,  makes  warriors,  generals, 
statesmen,  autocrats,  overthrows  dynasties, 
usurps  thrones,  creates  new  empires,  gratifies 
ambition  and  revenge,  unlocks  the  captive's  door, 
the  thief's  cell,  and  opportunity  ought  certainly 
to  aid  the  outpouring  of  my  love  for  you,  for  I 
love  you." 

"A  little  while  ago  you  said  the  same  thing  to 
another." 

"But  I  would  not  say  it  to  her  now  if  I  could. 
To  her  it  was  pursuit  engendered  by  resistance, 
for  you  alone  are  'thoughts  that  glow  and  words 
that  burn.'  " 

"Second  choice,"  added  Letitia  poutingly. 

"Think  how  quickly  I  forgot  Grace.  You  re 
marked  it  once  yourself.  The  true  reason  was 
that  I  was  glad  to  forget  her.  You  are  my 
Armida." 

"Rinaldo,  what  will  you  do  with  your  sor 
ceress?"  said  Letitia  playfully. 


THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT  419 

"Marry  her,  if  she  will  only  say  'yes.'  " 

"And  if  she  should  say  yes?"  returned  Leti- 
tia  in  a  low  voice. 

"Now,  my  felicity  is  complete,"  said  Arnold 
drawing  her  arm  through  his  and  imprinting 
a  warm  kiss  on  her  lips. 

When  Mrs.  Rheinberg  saw  Letitia  coming  up 
the  little  walk  with  Arnold,  the  elasticity  of  her 
gait,  the  sparkling  flash  of  her  eye  and  the  deep 
rosy  hue  of  her  cheeks,  told  as  plainly  as  words 
could  of  conquest.  Maternal  pride  lighted  up 
her  face  as  she  observed  her  "beautiful  girl" 
appearing  so  happy;  to  her  she  was  not  only 
beautiful,  but  good.  Trifling  faults  she  ac 
knowledged  her  child  had,  but  great  ones,  as  her 
father  sometimes  apprehended,  they  were  not; 
let  who  would  use  magnifying  glasses,  she  was 
content  with  her  own  eyesight.  There  was  no 
perfection  in  this  mundane  sphere. 

Letitia  ran  up  to  her  mother's  room,  threw  her 
arms  around  her  neck  and  kissed  her. 

"Darling,"  murmured  Mrs.  Rheinberg,  "flow 
er  of  my  flock,  though  I  have  often  grumbled 
that  God  did  not  give  me  riches  to  gratify  your 
wants,  still  I  always  told  you,  you  would  have  a 
splendid  future." 

"I  think  Arnold  will  make  a  good  husband. 
As  to  looks,  he  has  a  well  developed  figure,  is 
educated  and  talented ;  besides  these  combina 
tions  he  is  wealthy  and  he  can  be  very  agreea 
ble." 

"The  whole  town  applauds  him.  See  Lavalle, 
how  he  ran  when  poor  Henry  commenced  to 
sink;  then  Arnold  came  forward  like  a  man." 


42O  THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT 

"The  ladies  here  all  sympathized  with  him  in 
his  hopeless  love  for  Grace,  because  he  was  so 
devoted  to  her  after  she  was  abandoned  by  La- 
valle.  I  must  run  down  to  Arnold ;  he  will  be 
impatient  waiting  for  me.  Come,  or  you  can 
wait  for  father;  I  wish  he  were  here  now,"  said 
Letitia,  throwing  a  kiss  at  her  mother,  as  she 
lightly  sprang  from  the  room. 

"May  God  bless  her,"  fervently  prayed  the 
mother.  "She  is  my  favorite  child.  Here  comes 
Joseph.  Are  you  not  earlier  than  usual?" 

"Yes,  Clara;  there  was  nothing  doing,  and  as 
Rachel  was  not  very  well  this  morning,  I  thought 
I  would  come  home  earlier  and  see  how  she  is." 

"She  is  all  right  again.  I  have  good  news  to 
tell  you." 

"Has  Grace  come  back?"  asked  Mr.  Rhein- 
berg,  turning  very  pale. 

"Pshaw!  something  better  than  that.  Can't 
you  guess?" 

"No;  tell  me  quickly.  Good  news  don't  come 
every  day." 

"Letitia  is  engaged  to  Arnold,"  triumphantly 
added  Mrs.  Rheinberg. 

"I  think  Arnold  a  capable  man,  though  he  is 
given  to  gambling,  but  a  good  wife  may  reform 
him." 

"Never  fear,  Letitia  will  break  him  of  that. 
She  will  manage  him." 

"That  may  be,  but  how  can  his  feelings  change 
in  such  a  short  time?" 

"He  answered  that  question  once,  Joseph,  and 
you  thought  it  was  'clever.'  " 

"I  had  forgotten.     I  am  glad,  thankful,  that 


THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT  421 

Letitia  is  so  well  provided  for,"  and  he  re 
garded  his  wife  with  a  beaming  expression. 

"There  now,  you  see  straight.  But,  though  I 
am  so  happy,  my  heart  is  full  of  pain,"  contin 
ued  Mrs.  Rheinberg  with  streaming  eyes.  "Le 
titia  will  form  new  ties,  but  who  shall  fill  the 
empty  place  at  our  table?" 

"Well,  well,  these  things  must  be.  It  is  what 
we  pray  for,  though  we  do  feel  a  little  soft  about 
it.  Come,  dry  your  tears  and  let  us  go  down 
to  see  our  children." 

"Mother,"  said  Letitia,  some  few  days  after 
her  engagement,  "Bernard  wishes  to  be  married 
very  soon.  He  wants  to  leave  this  place  and  I 
do  not  blame  him.  His  remembrances  here  are 
not  very  pleasant." 

"To  be  sure  not.  I  feel  sorry  to  part  with 
you  so  soon,  but  then  if  Arnold  wants  it  and  it 
is  for  your  happiness,  I  am  satisfied,"  responded 
Mrs.  Rheinberg  with  moistened  eyes. 

"Ah,  mother,  Kotzebue  was  right  when  he 
remarked,  'Wenn  das  Herz  lacht  weint  das 
Auge.' " 

"But,  Letitia,  you  mistake  me,  my  heart  is 
heavy." 

"Think  how  liberal  Bernard  is  to  me,  to  you 
and  the  children.  In  this  short  time  of  our 
betrothal  he  has  lavished  all  kinds  of  gifts  upon 
me,  excepting  jewelry.  He  says  when  I  come  to 
New  York  I  shall  have  such  magnificent  jewels 
that  a  princess  might  envy  them." 

"I  did  not  know  Arnold  was  so  rich." 

"You  see  he  must  be.  Maybe  I  am  marrying 
a  prince  in  disguise,"  rejoined  Letitia  laughing. 


422  THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT 

"Talking  of  jewels  makes  me  think  of  Grace. 
I  suppose  she  gave  hers  back  to  Lavalle." 

"Of  course  she  did,"  answered  Letitia  sharply. 

"How  long  a  time  does  Arnold  wish  to  give 
you  ?" 

"He  says  I  can  complete  preparations  in  two 
weeks.  My  trousseau  will  receive  additions  in 
all  the  large  cities  we  pass  through." 

"Happy  Letitia !  I  am  afraid  you  will  forget 
me." 

"Why,  mother,  how  foolish.  I  shall  write 
two  or  three  times  a  week,  and  Arnold  says  in 
a  year  we  shall  see  you  again.  Think  how  grand 
that  will  sound,  'My  daughter,  Mrs.  Bernard 
Arnold,  is  coming.  She  has  been  traveling  all 
over  the  world.'  That  makes  you  smile  through 
your  tears." 

"But  I  shall  miss  you  at  the  table." 

"Take  a  leaf  out  of  it  so  that  it  will  look  as 
crowded  as  ever." 

"But  I  shall  miss  you  everywhere,"  repeated 
the  mother. 

"Imagine  I  am  here;  or,  better  still,  that  you 
are  rid  of  your  wayward  girl." 

"I  can  only  content  myself,  dear,  with  the 
thought  that  my  suffering  is  your  happiness." 

"A  mother's  love  is  the  pearl  of  human  affec 
tions,"  and  Letitia  embraced  her  mother. 

"Let  happen  what  will,  remember  my  heart, 
my  arms  and  my  doors  are  ever  wide  open  to 
receive  you." 

"Why,  what  should  happen?"  returned  Letitia 
frowningly. 


THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT  423 

"I  hope  nothing,  dear.  I  only  say  so  to  remind 
you  that  a  mother's  love  never  dies." 

"That  is  rather  a  fine  illustration  of  immu 
tability  in  life,"  added  Letitia  a  little  sarcas 
tically. 

The  night  before  Arnold's  marriage  he  walked 
round  and  round  the  convent,  and  bade  an  eter 
nal  good-bye  to  one  who  was  praying  on  her 
knees  in  the  chapel.  Letitia  would  certainly  not 
have  been  overpleased  had  she  witnessed  this 
exhibition  of  her  lover's  farewell  to  her  cousin. 
It  was  not  exactly  what  a  devoted  suitor  might 
be  expected  to  do  on  the  eve  of  his  marriage. 

Arnold  was  depressed  as  he  walked  home  to 
the  hotel,  but  his  gloomy  agitation  evaporated 
with  the  morning  sun,  and  the  afternoon  found 
him  a  comparatively  happy  bridegroom.  A 
rabbi  had  come  from  St.  Louis  to  perform  the 
marriage  ceremony,  which  was  strictly  private. 

The  newly  wedded  pair  left  the  same  after 
noon  on  the  steamer  for  New  York  via  St.  Louis. 
The  heart  of  Mrs.  Bernard  Arnold  beat  high 
with  the  joyous  anticipation  of  plunging  into 
that  life  which  she  hoped  would  be  embroidered 
with  all  the  beautiful  flowers  that  her  youthful 
vision  had  so  often  framed. 


424  THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT 


CHAPTER  XXXVIII. 

It  was  in  the  early  part  of  September  and  the 
yellow  fever,  which  had  been  raging  for  some 
months  in  the  South,  was  now  checked.  How 
ever,  in  the  town  of  D ,  the  home  of  the 

Hills,  though  every  effort  had  been  made  to  en 
force  a  rigid  quarantine,  disinfect  and  even  bar 
out  incoming  steamers  and  trains,  the  fever  had 
broken  out  with  a  leap  and  a  bound  in  a  most 
virulent  form  and  ended  in  an  epidemic,  much 
to  the  alarm  of  Amelia;  not  for  herself,  but  for 
her  half-invalid  father.  She  had  endeavored 
since  her  harsh  dismissal  of  Everard  to  con 
tinue  the  even  tenor  of  her  way.  She 
taught  in  the  Sunday  school,  she  had  an  extra 
class  for  expounding  the  Bible,  devoted  her 
self  more  vigorously  to  church  duties,  was  more 
patient  than  ever,  still  she  had  grown  timid  and 
was  afraid  of  herself.  Her  love  spoke  with  such 
a  loud  voice  that  she  feared  when  Alice  was  with 
her,  who  was  a  vigilant  watcher,  that  might  hear 
the  call.  In  vain  she  told  herself  of  the  degrada 
tion  such  an  alliance  would  bring,  that  it  would 
be  an  abomination,  that  there  could  be  no  happi 
ness  in  such  a  surrender.  Her  weakness,  as  she 
called  it,  grew  greater  as  the  call  grew  stronger 
and  the  imperturbable  Amelia  commenced  to  lose 
that  composure  and  serenity  which  was  one  of 
her  specific  characteristics. 


THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT  425 

When  the  little  yellow  placard  was  placed  on 
the  Hill  residence  Everard  rang  the  bell  with 
hope,  but  not  with  assurance.  "Amelia,  Miss 
Hill,  thank  God  it  is  not  you,"  he  cried  as  he 
entered  the  room.  "It  is  your  father.  Nurses 
are  scarce  and  incompetent  here — Mr.  Bennett  is 
ill,  too;  in  fact,  the  fever  has  become  such  a 
scourge  that  not  one  is  to  be  obtained.  I  have 
been  around  the  fever — assign  me  my  duty." 

Amelia,  disregarding  the  conflict  in  her  mind, 
anxious  about  her  father  and  Bennett,  too,  said: 
"If  you  can,  you  will  follow  me." 

After  six  weeks  of  faithful  and  arduous  nurs 
ing,  with  Mr.  Hill  and  Bennett  convalescing, 
Everard  found  himself  alone  with  Amelia. 
"Proud  heart,"  said  he,  "is  there  no  relenting, 
for  love  me  you  do.  Capitulate,  for  I  shall  fol 
low  you  until  I  may  rightly  take  my  place  by 
your  side.  I  am  waiting  for  my  answer." 

"You  have  nursed  my  father,  but " 

"I  deserve  some  reward." 

"Is  there  nothing  for  nothing  in  this  world?" 

"To  be  candid,  Amelia,  though  nothing  is  not 
anything,  yet  it  demands  something  and  you 
cannot  get  something  for  nothing." 

"And  that  is  love  which  boasts  of  making 
sacrifices  and  is  ready  to  die  for  it?" 

"Sacrifices  and  death  for  a  beloved  one  have 
a  recompense  in  the  thought  that  one  is  loved 
or  will  be  loved  as  an  offering  for  the  sacrifice. 
Ah,  Amelia!  we  cannot  get  beyond  our  limita 
tions  and  we  are  so  limited.  Why  argue  and 
combat  that  love  which  gives  nothing  for  noth 
ing,  but  wants  something  for  something?" 


426  THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT 

"Then  I  surrender," — he  started  eagerly,  but 
he  drew  back  as  she  concluded — "to  my  duty." 

"Never,  Amelia,  shall  you  become  my  wife  on 
those  terms.  A  truce  to  such  words.  Let  us 
say  good-bye." 

Amelia  looked  up  wistfully,  her  eyes  suffused 
with  teams.  "Mr.  Everard,  I — I " 

"Amelia,  dearest,  let  me  help  you.  You  love 
me,"  and  Everard,  knowing  by  intuition  that  the 
battle  was  over,  the  victory  won,  took  her  in  his 
arms,  where  she  wept  tears  of  joy  and  sorrow. 

"Thank  heaven,  dear,  your  father  consents, 
though  the  probation  which  he  puts  us  on  is 
very  hard,"  said  Everard  to  Amelia  Hill. 

"I  think  father  is  very  wise  in  this  case.  If 
we  cannot  be  engaged  a  year  or  more  without 
conflicting  on  account  of  our  religious  opinions, 
it  would  not  do  to  take  up  the  pilgrimage  of  life 
together.  Ours  is  an  extraordinary  case  and 
requires  extraordinary  measures.  And,  Mark, 
our  ideas  may  change." 

"For  heaven's  sake,  do  you  mean  to  say  that 
your  old  religious  prejudices  may  return  and  that 
you  may  learn  to  dislike  me?" 

"No,  no,"  returned  Amelia  smiling,  "I  have 
no  doubt  I  shall  learn  to  love  you  more  and  more 
if  that  be  possible.  We  may  learn  to  think  more 
alike." 

"I  shall  always  think  you  one  of  the  loveliest 
of  women  and  do  not  wish  to  influence  you  one 
iota.  If  you  could,  through  your  own  good 
sense,  believe  somewhat  as  I  do,  I  might  incline 
your  way;  consequently  we  should  be  very 


THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT  427 

happy.  I  worship  you,  Amelia,  and  not  your 
religion." 

"That  is  violating  a  commandment,  'Thou 
shalt  have  no  other  Gods  before  me.'  But,  Mark, 
to  talk  seriously,  I  have  painful  news  to  com 
municate.  Don't  turn  pale.  It  is  only  that 
father  has  decided  to  travel  and  I  am  to  go  with 
him." 

"Amelia,  this  is  cruel.  Why  did  you  not  op 
pose  it?  Your  father  would  have  acceded  to 
your  request." 

"But  Dr.  Wilson  says  it  is  absolutely  neces 
sary  for  father  to  have  diversity  and  that  he  will 
find  in  traveling.  We  shall  not  be  gone  more 
than  two  or  three  months." 

"But  what  am  I  to  do  in  the  interim?" 

"You  can  keep  your  time  occupied,  I  think. 
First,  your  numerous  clients  require  your  atten 
tion;  secondly,  you  will  have  to  write  me  daily, 
and  those  letters  you  cannot  intrust  to  an  amenu- 
ensis." 

"No  one  shall  handle  the  paper  on  which  I 
write  you,"  replied  Everard  jealously. 

"How  guarded  you  will  be,"  laughed  Amelia. 

"I  am  afraid  I  shall  not  have  many  letters,  as 
you  will  have  to  manufacture  the  paper  your 
self." 

"Do  not  take  the  words  so  literally,  you  know 
how  I  feel." 

"You  want  latitude,  like  a  poet." 

"To  think,"  said  Mrs.  Bennett  gayly  as  she 
came  in,  "that  Mark  Anthony  Everard  is  to  be 
my  brother-in-law!  Your  hand,  Mark." 


428  THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT 

"Who  told  you,  Alice?"  asked  Amelia,  blush 
ing. 

"Father,  to  be  sure.  I  know  all,"  returned 
Mrs.  Bennett  with  a  merry  twinkle  in  her  eye. 

"Well,  Mrs.  Bennett,  I  hope  you  and  your 
husband  approve  of  our  mutually  good  selec 
tion,"  said  Everard. 

"Well,  I  declare,"  returned  Mrs.  Bennett 
laughing  heartily,  "that  is  assumption  for  you. 
I  admire  you  all  the  more  for  it.  Charlie  will 
give  you  his  opinion  when  he  sees  you,  and 
whatever  that  will  be,  it  will  express  mine." 

"Is  that  the  way  you  are  going  to  talk  when 
you  are  married,  Amelia,  through  the  mind  of 
another?" 

"I  shall  be  more  independent  than  that,  Mark." 

"I  know  better.  You  will  make  a  most  docile 
wife,  Amelia.  This  is  a  changeable  world,  my 
dear  Mr.  Everard,"  rejoined  Mrs.  Bennett. 

After  Everard's  departure  Alice  said:  "Ame 
lia,  I  did  not  think  he  would  be  here  when  I 
came  in.  After  father  told  me  I  ran  nearly 
every  step  to  the  house.  Think  how  undignified 
I  must  have  looked." 

"You  make  me  laugh." 

"Indeed,  Amelia,  I  do  not  want  to  laugh.  I 
am  surprised  after  the  way  vou  talked  to  me  that 
you  have  engaged  yourself  to  Everard." 

"Did  you  not  tell  me  to  love  him,  Alice?" 

"Yes,  I  did.  If  he  were  only  a  Christian! 
What  a  pity  he  is  not." 

"I  would  not  have  him  otherwise  than  he  is," 
returned  Amelia  proudly. 

"Ah,  the  inconsistency,  the  perversity  of  hu- 


THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT  429 

man  nature!  I  am  afraid  you  will  be  turning 
Jewess  next,"  said  Mrs.  Bennett,  dolefully. 

"No  fear,"  responded  Amelia  contemptuously. 

"Come,  Amelia,  we  were  always  the  most  lov 
ing  of  sisters,"  added  Mrs.  Bennett  persuasively. 

"And  shall  continue  to  be,  provided  you  speak 
of  Mark  as  he  deserves." 

"I  cannot  but  speak  favorably  of  him.  You 
know  I  always  considered  him  one  of  nature's 
noblemen." 

"And  you  will  be  kind  to  him  when  I  am 
gone  ?  He  will  be  lonely ;  you  must  cheer  him 
up." 

"Certainly  I  shall.  Charlie  thinks  him  enter 
taining;  in  fact,  grand.  The  only  thing  I  feel 
sore  about  is  the  indignation,  possibly  the  ostra 
cism,  of  society." 

"I  shall  not  live  with  society,  but  with  Ever- 
ard,"  declared  Amelia  emphatically. 

"To  be  sure,  dear.  I  live  only  for  Charlie, 
still  I  love  society.  It  makes  me  cheerful  to 
swim  with  it." 

"For  instance,  Alice,  if  Charlie  were  falsely 
branded  as  a  forger,  could  you,  would  you,  live 
without  society  smiling  upon  you?" 

"What  a  question!"  said  Mrs.  Bennett  trem 
bling.  "I  would  and  could  live  happily  with 
Charlie,  if  I  were  on  a  desert.  If  society  would 
wrong  him,  I  would  spurn  it." 

"Very  well,  if  society  scorn  Mark  Everard 
without  a  just  cause,  I  shall  pay  no  attention  to 
it.  What  did  father  say  about  it?" 

"Not  much.  Of  course,  he  would  have  pre 
ferred  it  if  your  choice  had  fallen  on  some  one 


430  THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT 

of  our  denomination.     He  dreads  the  result  of 
such  mixed  marriages." 

"Poor  father,  I  am  sorry  I  had  to  grieve  him, 
but  I  was  compelled  to  yield  to  my  love.  It  was 
too  strong  for  me  to  control.  Who  knows, 
Everard  may  yet  reject  the  name  of  Jew." 

"Very  nice,"  said  Mrs.  Berkhoff  as  Everard 
came  in  with  her  husband  to  dinner  one  day.  "I 
have  not  seen  you  at  our  table  I  can't  tell  when. 
I  suppose  we  should  not  have  the  honor  to-day 
if  Miss  Hill  had  not  left  the  town." 

"Come,  come,  Mrs.  Berkhoff,  no  bantering. 
You  know  I  esteem  you  as  a  sincere  friend,  but 
Miss  Hill's  name  is  sacred.  On  that  subject  I 
am  easily  wounded  and  very  firm." 

"You  forget  how  you  once  persuaded  another 
to  do  right?" 

"That  is  just  it.  I  am  always  in  for  doing 
right." 

"And  may  no  one  take  the  liberty  of  advising 
you  to  pursue  the  same  course?"  asked  Mrs. 
Berkhoff. 

"Where  is  the  man  or  woman  who  can  say  I 
ever  wronged  anyone?  As  for  those  religious 
discriminations  I  must  settle  them  with  my 
own  conscience  and  account  to  God  for  my  ac 
tions." 

"Then  you  are  engaged?'' 

"I  did  not  say  so." 

"Why  these  quibbles?  But  I  forget,  you  are 
a  lawyer." 

"Never  mind,  Rebecca,  I  am  afraid  there's  no 
change  in  Everard.  God  knows  I  have  talked 


THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT  431 

to  him  enough  about  the  future.  He  is  bound 
to  be  sorry  for  it,  but  if  he  will  shut  his  eyes 
to  the  trouble,  who  can  help  it?  Remember, 
I  told  you  often  enough  and  in  time,  too,"  said 
Mr.  Berkhoff. 

"You  have  acted  as  a  friend  and  warned  me. 
But  now  if  I  insist  upon  acting  blindly,  as  you 
call  it,  well,  I  am  ready  to  suffer  the  conse 
quences.  Now,  under  the  circumstances — I  shall 
if  I  can — it  is  presuming  upon  friendship  to  say 
more." 

"You  will  not  be  angry  with  us,  Mr.  Everard? 
I  could  not  allow  you.  You  have  contributed  so 
much  toward  my  happiness  that  I  should  like  to 
return  it,"  added  Mrs.  Berkhoff. 

"You  can  best  accomplish  that,  my  good 
friend,  by  not  mentioning  the  affair  which  trou 
bles  you  and  your  husband.  I  appreciate  your 
kindness,  I  assure  you,  notwithstanding  my  de 
cision  to  act  contrary  to  your  advice !" 

"Mr.  Everard,  how  do  you  do?"  said  Mrs.  Sil- 
verbaum,  sailing  in  like  a  balloon. 

"I  am  very  well,  thank  you ;  and  so  are  you, 
I  see." 

"Ah,  unfortunate,  lost  everything,"  sighed 
Mrs.  Silverbaum. 

"But,  mother,"  said  Mr.  Berkhoff,  "why  both 
er  when  I  can  give  you  everything?  Is  there 
anything  missing?" 

"No,  you  are  too  good,  that  is  all.  Mr.  Ever 
ard,  I  pray  for  you  every  evening." 

"Thank  you,"  rejoined  he,  laughing,  "I  stand 
in  need  of  your  prayers." 


432  THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT 

"Not  that;  yon  misunderstand  me.  It  is  for 
the  gold  mine  I  have  through  you." 

"Through  me  ?  Your  daughter  would  not  have 
eloped,  I  assure  you." 

"Rebecca  is  no  more  the  gold  mine,  but  my 
son-in-law,  Berkhoff.  Isaac  in  this  short  time 
has  shown  himself  a  son,  one  true,  good,  loving 
son.  He  is  the  gold  mine.  Rebecca  is  lead  to 
him." 

"Why,  mother,"  answered  Berkhoff  turning 
red,  "what  are  you  talking  about?  I  have  been 
too  much  in  love  with  Rebecca  to  think  much  of 
you  yet;  wait  till  that  cools  down  a  little,  which 
I  hope  will  never  be,  and  then  I  shall  be  good." 

"Oh,  Mr.  Everard,  he  is  the  best  man  in  the 
whole  world,"  returned  Mrs.  Silverbaum. 

"You  are  not  far  from  wrong.  I  am  a  great 
admirer  of  your  son-in-law.  He  has  a  large, 
honest  heart." 

"Everard,  for  heaven's  sake  stop.  You  know 
I  am  coarse  and  uneducated,"  said  Berkhoff, 
greatly  embarrassed. 

"Pshaw !  old  fellow,  don't  blush  and  be  so 
nervous.  I  believe  you  can  do  all  kind  of  good 
things,  but  you  can't  stand  compliments.  Mrs. 
Berkhoff,  are  you  not  proud  of  your  husband?" 

"Indeed,  I  am  learning  his  true  worth  more 
and  more  every  day.  There  is  no  one  like  him," 
replied  she  fondly. 

"But,  Everard,  you  must  praise  Rebecca  for 
her  goodness.  She  encouraged  me  to  pay  off 
the  last  cent  of  my  honest  debts,  and,  with  the 
help  of  God,  I  will  soon  do  it.  When  that  strug- 


THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT  433 

gle  is  ever,  where  will  there  be  a  happier  couple 
than  my  sunflower  and  me?" 

"Berkhoff,  who  is  more  satisfied  than  a  hap 
pily  married  man  ?  Do  you  envy  the  king  on  his 
throne,  the  President  in  the  White  House,  or  the 
millionaire  in  his  palace?" 

"Envy,  is  it!  Indeed  I  do  not.  If  I  had  not 
got  my  Rebecca  I  would  have  envied  every  man 
with  a  loving  wife.  Now  I  have  everything — 
Rebecca  is  my  world." 

"Come,"  added  Rebecca,  blushing,  "dinner  is 
ready." 


434  THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT 


CHAPTER  XXXIX. 

Light  cirrus  clouds  above,  masses  of  soft  crys 
tals  driven  by  a  strong  wind  flying  in  the  air,  the 
thermometer  at  freezing  point,  all  contributed 
to  render  it  infinitely  more  pleasant  indoors  than 
on  the  streets  one  afternoon  in  February.  So 

thought  all  the  good  people  of  C ,  a  large 

town  in  Tennessee.  Very  few  pedestrians  were  to 
be  seen,  yet  there  was  one  man  with  a  tall,  well 
developed  figure  enveloped  in  a  heavy  over 
coat,  who  appeared  to  defy  the  elements.  From 
his  silvery  appearance  he  seemed  to  have  been 
exposed  for  some  time.  He  walked  on  with 
measured  tread  and  satisfied  air,  but  upon  close 
scrutiny  it  was  observable  that  his  face  was 
tinged  with  an  undefinable  sadness. 

The  man  walked  along  to  the  door  of  an  hum 
ble  cottage,  knocked  and  was  admitted  by  a 
ragged  child,  whose  little  face,  begrimed  with 
dirt,  lighted  up  with  pleasure  as  the  former  said, 
"Ho,  Johnny,  here  is  something  for  you  to-day," 
drawing  a  parcel  out  of  his  great  coat  and 
throwing  it  to  him. 

"Dear  mother,"  said  the  boy  to  a  woman  lying 
on  the  bed  in  the  room,  "is  it  Christmas  again? 
Am  I  so  good  that  Santa  Claus  sends  me  these 
things  by  this  good  man  ?"  and  Johnny,  some  five 
years  old,  laid  his  precious  gifts,  a  pair  of 


THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT  435 

heavy  shoes  and  some  warm  merino  socks,  on 
the  bed. 

"What  makes  you  think  me  Santa  Claus?" 
asked  the  man. 

"Because  mother  told  me  he  wears  a  big  coat. 
But  then  he  was  here  not  long  ago,"  exclaimed 
the  puzzled  child. 

"Hush,  child,  do  you  not  see  it  is  our  beloved 
pastor  whom  God  sends  to  us?  Place  a  chair 
for  him  by  the  bed." 

"As  he  has  his  hat  off  I  know  who  he  is,  but 
as  he  brings  so  many  things  to  good  children,  I 
thought  he  must  be  Santa  Claus." 

"Never  mind,  Johnny,  but  thank  him  and  the 
good  Father  above  who  does  not  forget  the  wid 
ow  and  the  fatherless." 

The  boy  sank  on  his  knees  by  his  mother's  bed, 
folded  his  hands,  and  in  a  pathetic  voice  said  a 
sweet,  little  prayer  of  thanks  to  God  for  his 
mercy  and  goodness. 

The  minister  was  much  moved  and  said: 
"Good  woman,  do  not  thank  me.  It  is  my  duty 
as  a  shepherd  to  look  out  for  my  flock.  I  did 
not  know  of  your  illness  until  yesterday,  when 
my  sister  told  me.  Be  comforted.  As  the  Lord 
has  afflicted  you  with  the  loss  of  your  husband, 
it  becomes  doubly  my  duty  to  see  that  you  do 
not  want." 

"I  should  not  complain,"  replied  the  Widow 
Brown,  "and  neither  do  I.  I  have  been  brought 
up,  I  trust,  in  the  ways  of  the  Lord  and  take  ex 
ample  from  His  Son  not  to  murmur.  After  my 
husband's  death  I  smothered  my  sighs,  repressed 
my  tears,  and  tried  to  be  contented  in  work.  The 


436  THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT 

weather  has  been  unusually  severe,  you  know — I 
hear  everywhere  of  your  works  of  benevolence 
and  generosity — wages  too  small,  and  I  could 
not  supply  the  humble  wants  of  myself  and  child. 
Work  grew  slack,  my  health  gave  way  under  the 
strain  and  here  I  am  in  a  sick  bed  in  the  depths 
of  winter,  without  anything  to  carry  me  over 
the  season,"  and  the  poor  woman,  who  had  seen 
better  days,  wept  unrestrainedly. 

"Fear  not,"  the  minister  responded  kindly. 
"  'Sufficient  for  the  day  is  the  evil  thereof.'  The 
Lord  will  provide.  Let  your  mind  be  at  rest, 
for  you  shall  not  be  forgotten."  A  mild  com 
passion  beamed  from  his  eyes,  and  the  widow's 
heart  was  comforted  and  cheered  with  kind  as 
surances  which  she  knew  were  always  fulfilled 
by  this  servant  of  the  Lord. 

When  the  minister  went  out  into  the  street 
he  felt  not  the  bitter  cold,  for  the  geniality  of  his 
heart  was  warmth  enough  for  him.  As  he  walked 
towards  his  home  in  the  outskirts  of  the  town 
he  went  into  many  little  cottages,  left  promises 
of  assistance  and  words  of  comfort,  which  fell 
like  heavenly  manna  from  his  lips. 

"Laura,  I  see  you  anticipated  my  coming," 
said  the  minister  as  the  door  opened  from  with 
in. 

"Well,  dear  Arthur,"  replied  his  sister  in  a 
gentle,  reproachful  tone.  "I  have  been  watch 
ing  for  you  this  half  hour.  I  have  been  a 
steady  sentinel  at  my  post  and  not  a  single  per 
son  passed  in  that  time.  I  have  been  quite  mis 
erable  thinking  of  the  long  walk  you  were  hav- 


THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT  437 

ing  in  this  rough  weather  and  night  approaching, 
too.  Are  you  not  almost  frozen  ?"  As  she  spoke 
she  divested  her  brother  of  his  overcoat  and 
then  drew  him  affectionately  into  the  sitting- 
room,  where  his  dressing  gown  and  slippers  were 
awaiting  him. 

"No,  not  exactly  frozen,  but  I  was  not  sorry 
when  I  saw  before  me  this  comfortable-looking, 
two-story  brick  building,"  returned  Arthur 
Montmartre  smiling. 

"How  desolate  our  garden  would  look  with 
out  those  evergreens.  Not  even  on  the  guelder 
rose,  is  to  be  seen  a  crimson  leaf." 

"The  evergreens  are  emblematical  of  life  ever 
lasting.  A  lesson  may  be  extracted  from  the 
beautiful  roses.  In  the  summer  they  distill  per 
fume  for  many  a  lady's  bower;  a  breath  from 
the  God  of  nature  freezes  their  buds,  scatters 
their  leaves  and  suppresses  the  flowing  of  the 
sap,  the  lifeblood  of  plants.  A  breath  from 
Him  above  and  mortals  as  well  as  plants  spring 
into  existence;  a  breath,  and  they  die.  Well, 
Laura,  have  you  considered  Mr.  Bien's  propo 
sal?" 

"I  have,  and  give  the  same  answer — a  decided 
negative." 

"Do  you  dislike  this  man?" 

"I  neither  like  nor  dislike  him.  He  is  kind 
and  good,  but  I  do  not  want  to  marry  him  or  any 
one  else.  I  am  happy  with  you." 

"Laura,  I  understand  why  you  not  only  re 
fused  Mr.  Bien,  but  that  intelligent  Mr.  Daws 
some  six  months  ago.  You  wish  to  dedicate  your 
life  to  a  brother  whose  affections  have  been 


'438  THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT 

blighted.  What  a  tender,  fond,  sympathetic  out 
pouring  of  a  sister's  love,"  said  Arthur  Mont- 
martre  in  a  low  voice  and  moistened  eye. 

"Am  I  not  gay  and  happy?  I  am  not  very 
harsh  in  my  temper,  am  I?"  asked  his  sister, 
gazing  lovingly  into  his  face. 

"Hush,  dear,  you  are  all  softness  and  good 
ness.  Your  sacrifice  is  too  great." 

"Think,  brother,  what  a  heavenly  mission  I 
have,  to  work  with  you  in  the  vineyard  of  the 
Lord!" 

"Yes,  dear,  as  we  are  Unitarians,  and  liberal 
ones  at  that,  we  administer  charity  irrespective 
of  religious  opinions,  and  so  we  find  our  time 
wholly  occupied." 

"And  I  can  stay  with  you  forever?" 

"Until  you  like  some  one  else  better  than  me, 
Laura." 

"That  will  never  be,"  answered  she  quietly, 
but  decidedly.  "The  self-abnegation  is  not  so 
great  as  you  imagine,  because  you  so  fully  con 
fide  in  me.  Do  I  not  have  something  to  say 
about  your  sermons,  am  I  not  consulted  about 
the  most  trivial  things?  I  feel  that  I  am  appre 
ciated,  therefore  contented  and  happy." 

"With  the  rise  of  the  morning  sun,  at  noon, 
at  evening's  gloaming  and  at  midnight  I  thank 
God  for  this  love.  Dear  sister,  your  goodness 
spoils  me.  You  do  not  let  me  have  occasion  to 
waft  many  sighs  to  the  past." 

"Well,  Arthur,"  and  Laura  adroitly  avoided 
drifting  on  a  painful  subject,  "how  are  all  of 
your  flock  in  this  cold  weather,  especially  the 


THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT  439 

sick  child  who  has  been  ill  so  long?    Is  there  no 
hope  ?" 

"No,  none.  I  could  not  give  the  poor  thing 
much  comfort  through  religion.  She  is  too 
young  to  comprehend  it,  yet  she  has  a  beautiful 
conception  of  heaven — marble  streets,  gold  pave 
ments,  angels  in  silvery  raiment,  rare  flowers, 
entrancing  music.  I  should  have  remained  until 
the  end  had  she  not  sunk  into  unconsciousness, 
and  the  physician  said  that  her  spirit  will  gently 
take  its  flight  and  she  will  awake  in  a  better 
world  before  the  earth  makes  another  revolution 
on  its  axis.  What  could  I  do  to  comfort  the 
poor,  distressed  parents,  but  tell  them  of  the 
goodness  of  God,  and  that  their  darling  will  be 
happier  in  that  beautiful  heaven  she  so  vividly 
pictured,  and  repeat  the  words  of  the  great 
Preacher,  'Suffer  little  children  to  come  unto 
me,  for  such  is  the  kingdom  of  heaven.'  " 

The  Unitarian  Church  was  a  rather  large, 
pretty  Gothic  building  situated  in  an  accessible 
part  of  the  town,  but  sequestered  from  other 
dwellings.  No  other  church  in  the  city  drew 
better  audiences  than  this  one,  not  that  the  ser 
mons  of  the  Rev.  Mr.  Montmartre  were  more 
eloquent  than  other  divines,  but  because  he  prac 
ticed  what  he  taught. 

One  morning,  a  cold  but  pleasant  Sunday  in 
March,  with  the  snow  on  the  ground,  the  church 
service  commenced  with  that  beautiful  hymn, 
'The  Lilies  Toil  Not,  Neither  Do  They  Spin," 
followed  by  a  solemn  prayer  by  the  minister. 
He  chose  his  text  from  the  Proverbs  of  David, 


44°  THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT 

chapter  xxviii,  verse  I :  "Boast  not  thyself 
of  to-morrow,  for  thou  knowest  not  what 
it  may  bring  forth."  The  sun,  the  messenger 
of  God's  glory,  proclaims  to  man  that  the 
day  is  here  to  struggle  and  to  do.  Man,  the 
pride  of  creation,  steps  forth  with  a  brave  heart 
and  smiling  brow.  He  goes  forth  to  work  and 
to  dare.  He  could  thus  far  say  of  his  work  that 
success  followed  all  his  speculations.  He  stopped 
not  to  heed  in  his  long,  triumphant  career  the 
cry  of  humanity  or  the  wailing  of  his  own 
heart,  which  was  not  entirely  satisfied  with  the 
mere  acquisition  of  riches,  rank  and  power, 
which  feed  only  pride.  To-day  would  see  the 
completion  of  his  mighty  schemes  of  aggran 
dizement,  to-morrow  he  would  do  that  from 
which  he  would  reap  the  'golden  opinions'  of 
the  people.  They  would  applaud  in  thunder 
tones  which  would  reach  heaven,  and  then  he 
would  turn  his  thoughts  to  the  Giver  of  these 
gifts.  Again  the  sun  with  its  thousand  brilliant 
rays  ushered  in  the  day,  the  'to-morrow'  of  yes 
terday.  But  where  is  the  unfaltering  hero  of 
the  day  before?  Where  is  he  who,  Jove-like, 
trod  the  earth  with  all  the  conscious  dignity  of 
God's  impress  upon  him?  What  is  the  deed  he 
had  hoped  and  contemplated  to  do,  at  which 
mankind  would  hail  him  a  benefactor  with  grati 
tude  and  joy.  Go  ask  that  ghostly  corpse,  with 
its  livid  hue  and  sealed  eyes.  That  inanimate 
body  is  all  that  remains  of  the  vainglorious  man 
who  deferred  the  work  of  to-day  until  to-mor 
row.  Such  is  the  product  of  many  to-morrows. 
It  is  only  the  all-seeing  One  who  can  say  an- 


THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT  441 

other  day  will  be  thus  and  thus.  Do  not  defer 
good  actions,  commence  this  day.  Let  one  mo 
ment  conceive  and  the  next,  if  possible,  mature 
good  plans.  Put  not  your  trust  in  others,  but 
in  yourself  and  God.  Remember  that  Jesus 
said,  'Of  mine  own  self  I  can  do  nothing;  the 
Father  that  dwelleth  in  me,  he  doeth  the  work/ 
so  pray  God  for  strength  that  you  may  learn 
what  to  do  and  when  to  do  it.  If  you  have  in 
jured  anyone  do  not  procrastinate  until  to-mor 
row,  for  by  that  time  the  person  or  yourself  may 
be  summoned  before  the  tribunal  of  God.  Have 
you  done  wrong,  prolong  not  the  hours  of  re 
pentance,  but  at  once  change  your  course  of  con 
duct.  Flee  from  evil,  pursue  good.  If  you  wish 
a  garden  of  lovely  exotics,  you  begin  your  work 
in  season,  weed  out  the  thistles,  cultivate  the 
ground  and  foster  them  with  tender  care.  Then 
why  not  commence  to  bestow  more  culture  on 
deeds  of  charity,  acts  of  kindness,  humanity  and 
love?  They  are  the  sweetest  and  most  fragrant 
of  all  flowers,  for  they  are  destined  to  bloom  in 
the  garden  of  heaven.  Have  you  prejudice  in 
your  heart  against  any  nation,  against  any  de 
nomination,  against  any  individual,  cast  it  out 
at  once  and  forever.  Have  you  offended  mother, 
father,  sister,  brother,  friend  or  anyone,  wait  not 
to  think  and  dream  over  it  until  to-morrow,  but 
instantly  make  reparation.  Do  not  think  that 
you  can  knowingly  commit  a  wrong  and  to-mor 
row  bring  offerings  to  propitiate  God.  No  im 
molations  of  money,  wine,  oil  or  license  can 
atone  for  sin.  It  is  only  through  repentance  of 
the  heart  and  benevolent  labors  that  wrongs  can 


442  THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT 

be  expiated  before  God.  The  prophet  Isaiah 
says,  'I  delight  not  in  the  blood  of  bullocks  or  of 
lambs,  or  of  he-goats.  When  ye  come  to  appear 
before  me  who  hath  required  this  at  your  hands 
to  tread  my  courts?  Incense  is  an  abomination 
to  me;  bring  me  no  more  vain  oblations.  Wash 
you,  make  you  clean,  put  away  the  evil,  learn  to 
do  well;  seek  judgment,  relieve  the  oppressed, 
judge  the  fatherless,  plead  for  the  widow,'  but 
boast  not  that  you  will  do  all  this  to-morrow; 
let  it  be  done  this  day  and  by  yourselves.  God 
does  not  accept  of  vicarious  atonement.  God 
is  a  unity  and  with  his  ubiquitous  spirit  will 
judge  each  one  singly;  therefore  let  all  unite  and 
be  one  grand  union  of  hearts  throughout  the 
world  wherever  civilization  treads,  to  promote 
the  harmony  of  religion,  so  all  mankind  will 
look  upon  one  another  as  brothers  and  sisters 
walking  in  the  same  path,  endeavoring  to  reach 
the  same  goal.  Mighty  emperors,  powerful  mag 
nates,  great  and  simple,  and  good-natured  peo 
ple  have  said  what  they  will  do  to-morrow. 
One  has  visions  of  what  his  depotism  can  ac 
complish,  another  has  vowed  vengeance,  the  hus 
bandman  smiles  at  the  fruits  he  will  enjoy  to 
morrow.  Arbitrary  power  may  have  fallen  to 
freedom's  cry,  'the  first  delight  of  human  kind,' 
the  fruit  tree  be  blighted  by  to-morrow.  Let  us 
not  allow  the  present  to  elude  our  grasp;  only 
the  passing  moment  is  ours,  we  must  improve 
and  take  advantage  of  it.  Death,  the  inevitable 
doom  of  all  living  things,  impends  over  man.  It 
may  come  any  moment;  therefore  be  always  pre 
pared.  I  exhort  you  all  to  be  considerate  of  one 


THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT  443 

another's  infirmities  of  mind  and  body;  be  liberal 
towards  the  poor,  tolerant  in  religious  opinions, 
and  be  not  hasty  in  condemning  the  actions  of 
others.  'First  cast  the  beam  out  of  thine  own 
eye,  and  then  shalt  thou  see  clearly  to  cast  out 
the  mote  from  thy  brother's  eye.'  " 

After  dwelling  at  some  length  upon  the  neces 
sity  of  immediate  and  concerted  action  for  the 
relief  of  the  indigent  in  their  midst,  the  minister 
closed,  saying:  "May  the  Lord,  the  Father  of 
all,  fill  with  the  divine  grace  of  good-will  and 
brotherly  love  the  hearts  not  only  of  the  members 
of  my  much-beloved  congregation,  but  all,  even 
'the  untutored  savage  who  sees  God  in  the 
winds.'  May  the  Lord  cause  his  face  to  shine 
upon  you,  be  gracious  unto  you  and  give  you  the 
peace  of  upright  minds,  conscientious  hearts  and 
benevolent  actions.  May  his  blessings  rest  with 
you  and  accompany  you  to  the  celestial  sphere. 
May  God  have  you  in  His  holy  keeping.  Amen." 

Another  hymn  was  sung  to  the  grand,  swell 
ing  notes  of  the  organ,  and  the  large  assemblage 
was  dismissed  with  the  usual  benediction. 

"My  friend,"  said  the  minister  to  a  prepos 
sessing  young  man  who  remained  standing  near 
one  of  the  pillars  absorbed  in  deep  thought,  "are 
you  waiting  to  talk  with  me?" 

"Do  you  not  know  me?"  asked  he,  looking  up 
into  the  clergyman's  face. 

"Is  it  you,  Mr.  Lavalle?"  resumed  Montmar- 
tre  with  a  quivering  voice. 

"Yes,  it  is  William  Lavalle.  I  just  strolled  in 
here  by  accident.  Your  sermon  has  deeply  af 
fected  me." 


444  THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT 

Without  manifesting  the  trial  it  cost  him  and 
after  mentally  repeating,  "Get  thee  behind  me, 
Satan/'  Montmartre  said  aloud,  "I  am  glad  to 
see  you,  Mr.  Lavalle.  How  long  have  you  been 
in  town?" 

"I  arrived  yesterday." 

"I  cannot  ask  you  how  you  like  it,  as  you  see 
everything  under  a  white  veil.  Though  the 
snow  conceals  many  ugly  spots,  it  nevertheless 
hides  many  garden  plots  which  only  require  the 
warm  breath  of  spring  to  render  them  beautiful. 
I  hope  your  wife  is  well.  I  suppose  the  cold 
weather  keeps  her  confined  to  her  rooms." 

Lavelle  did  not  reply,  turned  deathly  pale,  put 
his  hand  to  his  heart  and  groaned  aloud. 

"Say  not  that  she  is  dead!"  returned  the  min 
ister  with  visible  emotion. 

"She  is  worse  than  dead  to  me." 

"You  cannot,  dare  not,  say  that  she  was  un 
faithful,  for  the  women  of  your  race  are  gener 
ally  true  to  their  marital  vows.  And  she  of  all 
women  must  be  as  good  and  pure  as  the  snow 
that  falls  from  heaven." 

"Alas !"  and  Lavalle's  anguish,  restrained  for  a 
moment,  rushed  on  like  a  torrent  which  the  burst 
ing  dam  had  a  moment  before  impeded.  "I  am 
one  of  the  most  miserable,  wretched,  unfortunate, 
and  at  the  same  time  the  most  contemptible  of 
men.  One  moment  I  feel  that  I  should  have 
killed  Grace  and  atoned  for  my  wounded  honor; 
the  next,  remorse,  that  infernal  agony  and  tor 
ture  of  the  mind,  tells  me  that  I  must  be  the 
victim  of  some  foul  conspiracy,  some  fearful  de 
lusion,  and  that  I  should  have  taken  her  to  my 


THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT  445 

heart  in  defiance  of  ten  thousand  varnished  false 
hoods  which  threw  ignominy  upon  her.  An  ir 
resistible  impulse,  as  potent  as  the  attraction  of 
gravitation,  which  draws  all  things  to  the  center 
of  the  earth,  has  been  and  is  drawing  me  west 
ward  and  westward  until  I  reach  the  fatal  spot 
where  she  is,  but  for  what  purpose  I  cannot  tell. 
Woe  is  me." 

"Calm  yourself.  First  of  all  let  us  go  away 
from  here,  and  then  you  can  give  an  explana 
tion."  The  minister  drew  his  arm  through  his  and 
led  him  forward. 

Lavalle,  compressing  his  passion  and  grief,  ac 
companied  him  as  unresistingly  as  a  child.  The 
congregation  had  passed  out  and  the  sexton,  who 
had  been  impatiently  waiting  for  the  pastor's  de 
parture,  now  closed  the  door  of  the  church. 

Walking  along  with  the  clergyman,  Lavalle 
poured  forth  the  tale  of  Arnold,  the  jewels;  nay, 
he  did  not  forget  to  lacerate  afresh  his  wounded 
heart.  He  tore  off  the  coverings  with  no  gentle 
hand,  exposed  his  own  temporary  folly  and 
cried,  "The  agony  I  endure  I  consider  a  retribu 
tion  too  terrible  to  bear." 

"I  tell  you,"  replied  Montmartre,  "Grace 
must  be  innocent,  and  I  clearly  perceive  she  is. 
That  Arnold  is  a  villain." 

"Do  you  think  so?" 

"I  do,  indeed ;  and  time  will  clear  up  every 
thing.  Where  did  you  go  after  leaving  Grace?" 

"I  traveled  in  foreign  climes,  and  made  the 
effort  to  live  for  and  by  myself.  But  I  discovered 
what  Zimmerman  wrote,  'That  solitude  is  no 


446  THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT 

remedy  for  love,  for  it  burns  all  the  fiercer  for 
having  nothing  to  feed  upon.'  " 

After  luncheon  the  minister  retired  to  his 
study.  The  Sunday  afternoons  were  generally 
pleasantly  spent.  Unless  to  visit  some  one  ill  there 
were  no  parish  duties  to  perform,  and  the  in 
mates  of  the  parsonage  allowed  themselves  to 
spend  their  time  according  to  their  tastes.  Oc 
casionally  sister  and  brother  dined  with  some  in 
timate  friend  or  vice  versa.  If  not,  until  time 
for  the  evening  lecture  they  read  and  enjoyed 
all  the  innocent  pleasure  which  is  only  to  be  de 
rived  from  the  knowledge  of  having  satisfactorily 
performed  one's  work.  And  this  laborer  of  the 
Lord  earned  his  rest. 

"Arthur,  brother,  may  I  come  in?"  said  Laura, 
rapping  at  the  door,  entering  as  she  continued: 
"I  am  afraid  as  I  am  unwell  and  you  did  not 
come  to  join  me,  something  serious  must  have 
occurred  to  disturb  the  equilibrium  of  your  brave 
spirit." 

"I  longed  to  be  alone  with  no  eye  upon  me  but 
my  Maker's.  But,  better  so,"  said  Montmartre 
to  Laura  as  she  started  to  go,  "remain.  Do  you 
know  who  is  here?" 

"I  am  sure  I  cannot  tell." 

"Lavalle  is  here  and  the  demon  is  tugging  at 
my  soul." 

"Have  you  seen  his  wife?"  asked  Laura  breath 
lessly. 

"Listen.  Ever  since  that  sad  farewell  with 
Grace  at  Niagara,  as  you  know,  I  have  never 
seen  or  heard  of  her.  My  wound  has  had  time 


THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT  447 

to  cicatrize  and  I  naturally  thought  that  long  ere 
this  she  was  the  wife  of  Lavalle,  rolling  in  wealth 
and  splendor,  every  tear  drop  kissed  away.  I 
had  consoled  myself  with  this  pretty  picture  and 
hugged  it  to  my  heart.  The  cup  that  contained 
large  drops  of  bitterness  for  me  was  filled  with 
a  sweet  and  delicious  potion  for  her.  And  now 
this  tableau  is  dissolved.  She  is  not  Lavalle's 
wife  and  he  does  not  know  what  has  become  of 
her.  She  may  or  may  not  be  in  her  old  home," 
and  Montmartre  related  to  Laura  all  that  Lavalle 
had  unfolded  to  him. 

"And  no  bird  comes  twittering  from  its  leafy 
bower  to  tell  us  of  her  fate." 

"I  must  fly  to  her.  I  must — what  a  violent 
ringing  of  the  door  bell!" 

"Listen!    Some  one  ill  probably." 

"A  gentleman,"  said  the  maid,  "has  been 
thrown  from  his  buggy  and  struck  his  head 
against  the  fence.  He  is  stunned  and  seems  bad 
ly  hurt.  A  woman " 

"What,  a  man  unconscious,  a  woman  probably 
injured!  Let  me  go  and  see." 

"What  a  commotion !  The  man  is  insensible, 
have  him  taken  into  this  bedroom,"  said  Laura, 
who  was  at  the  scene  of  the  disaster  as  quickly  as 
her  brother,  and  indicated  with  her  finger  a 
certain  apartment. 

"Very  well,  you  look  after  the  woman,"  re 
joined  Montmartre. 

"Come,"  said  Laura  to  the  maid,  "assist  me  to 
take  her  into  the  adjoining  room.  She  must 
have  fallen  into  the  snow  and  slush  and  is  prob- 


44$  THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT 

ably  more  frightened  than  injured  by  the  acci 
dent" 

"She  is  warm." 

"Where  am  I?"  said  the  woman,  opening  her 
eyes. 

"In  good  hands,"  responded  Laura.  "Here, 
put  on  this  clean  clothing  and  let  me  sponge  your 
face." 

The  woman's  black  hair  uncoiled  itself  like  a 
snake  and  lay  in  heavy  ringlets  down  her  back. 
She  was  pale  and  haggard,  but  extremely  beauti 
ful.  Upon  inquiring  for  her  husband  and  taken 
to  the  room  she  threw  herself  in  speechless  ago 
ny  by  the  side  of  the  unconscious  man.  Her  eyes 
asked  of  the  physician,  who  had  just  arrived  a 
moment  before,  in  dumb  appeal  what  the  lips  re 
fused  to  utter. 

"Nay,  madam,"  quietly  replied  the  doctor  to 
this  look,  "your  husband  may  never  recover  con 
sciousness;  undoubtedly  he  will,  but  I  fear  he 
has  received  internal  injuries  which  may  prove 
fatal." 

With  a  shriek  the  unhappy  wife  fell  forward  in 
a  swoon  and  was  quickly  removed  from  the  room. 

In  the  meantime,  after  various  remedies  had 
been  applied  to  the  man,  his  respiration  became 
stronger,  he  opened  his  eyes  and  sensibility  crept 
into  them.  He  gazed  around,  as  if  in  search 
of  some  one,  and  the  doctor  hastily  said :  "Your 
wife  is  in  the  adjoining  apartment,  free  from  all 
injury  excepting  a  little  weakness  from  fright." 

"And  I?"  inquired  the  man,  in  a  scarcely  audi 
ble  whisper,  and  his  eyes  begged  piteously  for 
mercy — to  live. 


THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT  449 

"Aid  can  only  come  from  the  heavenly  Physi 
cian,"  returned  the  doctor  sadly.  "Think  of  your 
heavenly  Father;  your  hours  are  numbered." 

"My  wife?"  added  the  man  with  a  groan  as  he 
closed  his  eyes. 

"I  shall  see  if  she  is  strong  enough  to  come  in. 
The  man  into  whose  hands  you  have  so  fortu 
nately  fallen  is  a  man  of  God  with  liberal  ideas. 
Whatever  your  religion  may  be  he  will  give  you 
hope,  and  try  and  reconcile  you  to  die  and  meet 
your  God.  I  shall  leave  you  to  him." 

The  poor  sufferer  unclosed  his  eyes  and  found 
himself  alone  with  the  minister,  who  was  mourn 
fully  looking  down  upon  him,  but  a  mild  ex 
pression  of  hope  beamed  from  his  eye.  "I  tell 
you,"  said  Montmartre,  "whatever  may  be  your 
faith,  whether  you  are  a  Jew,  Christian,  Deist  or 
so-called  Infidel,  there  is  mercy  for  you.  God 
overlooks  all  faults  and  receives  all  into  the  king 
dom  of  heaven  who  have  acted  in  accordance  with 
the  dictates  of  their  mind,  heart  and  conscience. 
So,  do  not  despair." 

"Come  closer,"  said  the  man  in  a  feeble  tone. 

In  a  moment  the  minister  was  on  his  knees  be 
side  the  bed,  when  Arnold  continued :  "I  want 
to  make  a  confession ;  get  pencil  and  paper." 

"I  have  them  on  hand  in  my  pocket,  but  I  am 
no  priest,  as  you  may  undoubtedly  see." 

A  ghastly  smile  passed  over  the  sick  man's 
face  and  he  faintly  responded,  "I  am  of  the  Jew 
ish  religion.  Write  down  what  I  tell  you,  then 
send  for  my  wife,  and  for  some  one  of  my  faith, 
if  you  know  of  any  such  person," 


45O  THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT 

The  minister  murmured,  "If  you  have  been 
righteous  God  will  receive  you." 

The  dying  man  with  gasps  told  him  of  acts  of 
villainy  which  caused  a  lover  to  abandon  his  be 
trothed  and  was  the  death  of  her  parents — sup 
pressing  only  names — that  the  girl  he  had  pur 
sued  had  forsaken  her  religion  and  had  become 
a  nun  to  avoid  his  persecutions.  "I  subsequently 
married  the  woman  who  is  with  me,"  he  moaned, 
"and  have  been  infinitely  wretched.  We  have  led 
a  kind  of  nomadic  life.  Though  she  has  a  vio 
lent  temper,  I  have  been  much  to  blame  for  our 
mutual  misery.  In  my  remorse  I  gambled  des 
perately  so  that  my  substance  is  utterly  dissi 
pated.  My  wife,  my  poor  wife,  will  be  left  pen 
niless.  Ah,  me!" 

"As  far  as  my  power  extends  your  wife  shall 
be  taken  care  of.  Give  me  the  name  of  the  girl 
and  her  unfortunate  intended.  Who  knows  but 
what  I  may  be  the  humble  instrument  of  uniting 
them." 

"Her  name,"  he  whispered,  "is  Grace  Feld,  her 
lover's  William  Lavalle.  She  lives  in  the  town 

of  D ,  in  Missouri;  where  he  is  I  do  not 

know;  my  name  is  Bernard  Arnold.  Seek  them 
out  and  make  amends." 

At  the  mention  of  that  beloved  name  the  pen 
cil  dropped  from  Montmartre's  hand,  he  bowed 
his  head  and  involuntarily  said :  "That  girl,  I 
loved  her,  too!" 

"You,  too?"  rejoined  Arnold;  but,  exhausted 
from  the  recital,  he  closed  his  eyes  in  a  half- 
fainting  condition. 

The  minister  raised  his  head  and  administered 


THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT  451 

a  cordial,  which  somewhat  revived  him,  and  then 
guided  his  hand  to  sign  the  paper. 

"I  want  to  see  my  wife.  Do  you  think  God 
will  forgive  me?"  inquired  Arnold. 

"God  in  His  goodness  is  long-suffering  and 
merciful.  Repent,  and  I  hope  and  pray  He  will 
forgive  you." 

The  clergyman  thrust  the  paper  into  his  pocket. 
It  was  the  second  stab  he  had  received  that  day." 

"Oh,  guilty  me!"  sighed  Arnold. 

"Yes,"  mentally  exclaimed  the  minister,  "Ar 
nold  can  beat  his  breast  and  say  mea  culpa,  but  I 
have  the  miserere  in  my  heart.  With  Grace  in  a 
convent  there  is  a  sepulcher  without  any  roses 
blooming  over  it." 

As  Mrs.  Arnold  entered  the  room  she  ran  to 
her  husband  and  threw  her  arms  around  him. 
They  spoke  and  wept  together. 

"Do  not  excite  your  husband,  Mrs.  Arnold," 
added  Montmartre  as  he  proceeded  to  go  where 
Laura  was. 

"Well,  how  is  he?"  asked  his  sister. 

"Very  low.  He  wants  me  to  send  for  some 
one  of  his  persuasion.  This  man,  who  is  a — God 
forgive — he  is  a  dying  man." 

"But  what?" 

"He  wronged  her,  Grace,  by  telling  falsehoods 
and  separating  her  from  Lavalle,  and  she  is  in 
a  convent." 
'The  monster!" 

"But  I  think  it  is  right  for  me  to  send  for  La 
valle,  so  they  can  become  reconciled  to  each 
other.  I  need  not  acquaint  him  with  Arnold's 


452  THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT 

unprincipled  and  heartless  actions.  When  he  is 
dead  it  will  be  too  late  for  retraction." 

A  messenger  was  accordingly  dispatched  and 
Lavalle  quickly  arrived. 

"Do  you  know  the  name  of  this  man?"  inquired 
the  latter  of  Montmartre. 

"His  name  is  Arnold.  He  is  married,  but  not 
to  Grace,"  answered  he  as  Lavalle  turned  deathly 
pale. 

"Though  I  feel  that  Arnold  has  been,  must 
have  been,  a  false  man,  still  all  such  thoughts 
must  give  way  before  the  death-bed  of  a  co 
religionist." 

"Right,  my  friend." 

"Yes,  though  I  despise  him,  yet  I  feel  sadly 
for  him  in  this  solemn  hour.  I  am  now  ready  to 
go  in,  pray  and  say  those  words,  without  which 
no  one  of  the  Jewish  faith  is  satisfied  to  have  his 
soul  ushered  into  eternity." 

"There  is  the  room.  Go  right  in.  I  shall  re 
main  here,"  said  the  minister  with  instinctive 
delicacy. 

"Hear,  O  Israel,"  said  Lavalle  as  he  reached 
the  bedside  of  the  man. 

A  faint  glimmer  of  a  smile  passed  over  Ar 
nold's  face. 

"Yes,"  continued  Lavalle,  "live,  act  and  think 
as  we  will,  when  it  comes  to  death  we  generally 
return  to  the  allegiance  of  God.  Wavering, 
trembling,  tottering  in  faith,  disclaiming,  nulli 
fying  and  abolishing  customs,  our  belief  comes 
back  with  full  vigor  and  force  when  the  life  of 
futurity  is  dirnly  outlined  before  our  receding  vis 
ion." 


THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT  453 

Mrs.  Arnold  was  so  absorbed  in  her  grief  that 
she  had  not  raised  her  head  from  the  bed  at  La- 
valle's  entrance.  But  when  he  spoke  and  prayed 
for  the  dying  man  in  a  low  voice,  her  frame 
shook  with  a  convulsive  tremor.  Lavalle  thought 
it  was  the  agitation  of  grief  alone.  When  all 
was  still  and  she  knew  that  her  husband's  spirit 
had  gone  to  its  eternal  home,  she  clasped  her 
arms  more  firmly  around  him  and  buried  her 
face  more  deeply  in  the  blankets. 

Lavalle  had  not  yet  seen  her  face,  and  was 
strangely  moved  at  the  intense  grief  of  this 
man's  wife.  "Villain  he  was,"  mused  he,  "but 
let  me  not  judge  him;  he  has  now  appeared  be 
fore  the  tribunal  of  the  infallible  Judge.  I  wish 
that  I  had  seen  him  sooner;  he  would  probably 
have  revealed  some  dark  transaction  on  his  part 
and  throw  light  on  the  diamonds.  But,  thank 
God,  Grace  did  not  marry  him.  Who  knows  what 
the  result  will  be?" 

"Is  it  all  over?"  asked  Montmartre  as  Lavalle 
entered  the  room  where  he  and  his  sister  were 
sitting.  i 

"Yes,  I  left  the  poor  woman  overwhelmed  with 
grief.  I  did  not  see  her  face.  I  made  no  attempt 
to  console,  as  I  think  no  words  of  mine,  at  this 
bitter  time,  can  soften  her  grief.  Miss  Mont 
martre,  I  beg  your  pardon,  I  did  not  see  you. 
Alas !  that  we  should  meet  under  such  sad  cir 
cumstances." 

"Time  brings  thorns  as  well  as  roses,"  said 
Laura  shaking  hands  and  going  quietly  into  the 
other  room  and  removing  the  wife's  fingers  from 
the  dead  and  leading  her  into  another  apart- 


454  THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT 

ment.  As  Mrs.  Arnold  passed  with  her  head 
bowed,  Lavalle,  who  was  going  into  the  room, 
caught  a  glimpse  of  her  face  and  exclaimed  in  a 
low  voice : 

"Great  heaven!  it  is  Letitia." 

"Laura,"  said  Dr.  Montmartre,  when  alone 
with  his  sister,  "that  Mrs.  Arnold  is  Letitia  of 
whom  Lavalle  spoke  in  his  morning's  confession." 

"Poor  man,  he  is  to  be  pitied." 

"True,  sister.  But  think  how  wicked  I  have 
been.  While  Lavalle  was  with  the  dying  Arnold, 
I  was  dreaming  of  Grace.  All  kinds  of  fantastic 
visions  came  floating  through  my  brain.  I  shud 
der  at  my  own  weakness  in  having  allowed  such 
wild  thoughts  to  enter,  and  I  repeat,  'Get  thee 
behind  me,  Satan.'  I  must  see  Lavalle  as  soon 
as  this  funeral  is  over  and  give  him  the  confes 
sion  I  took  from  the  dying  man." 

"Thank  God  you  have  suppressed  all  rebellious 
thoughts." 

"Amen,  say  I,  though  it  is  bitter  to  reflect,  'it 
might  have  been.'  But,  Laura,  woe  to  the  per 
son  who  allows  his  meditations  to  run  riot,  think 
ing  to  restrain  them  when  so  inclined.  Ideas  and 
fancies  which  can  be  easily  repressed  at  their 
conception,  become  irrepressible  when  indulged 
in.  I  have  dashed  away  those  seductive  thoughts 
and  grieve  for  Lavalle.  I  submit  to  everything, 
yet  a  cry  of  despair  goes  up  from  my  heart  to 
God,  to  think  that  the  young  girl  I  so  tenderly 
love  is  enclosed  within  those  walls.  How  desolate 
must  that  tortured  heart  have  been,  how  deep 
and  dark  her  distress,  to  take  that  lonely  step — 
that  fatal  plunge.  How  will  Lavalle  hear  the 


THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT  455 

avowal  of  Arnold's  wickedness  and  infernal 
plot?"  i 

"Who  can  tell?  As  for  Grace,  she  was  as 
easily  moved  as  the  pendulum  of  a  clock." 

"Dear  sister,  hundreds  of  people  are  daily  pre 
cipitated  into  the  committal  of  actions  which  are 
totally  foreign  to  their  natures." 

"Then  why  do  they  act  so?" 

"Because  circumstances  twist  and  force  them. 
A  simple  and  perfect  reliance  in  God,  a  mind 
clear  and  free  from  all  cobwebs  of  superstition, 
constant  appeals  to  judgment  and  reason,  spot 
less  integrity,  large  charity  and  sympathy  for 
all,  are  the  main  safeguards  against  errors  and 
transgressions." 


456  THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT 


CHAPTER  XL. 

"Shall  I  avoia  Mrs.  Arnold?"  said  Lavalle  to 
Montrruirtre. 

"No,  I  shouM  not.  There  is  no  necessity,  is 
there?" 

"Have  you  no  faith  in  me?  If  she  were  to 
stand  before  me  in  all  the  radiance  of  her  maiden 
beauty,  nay,  with  increased  Circean  wiles,  she 
would  make  no  impression  upon  me  now.  She, 
with  her  corpse — I,  with  my  blighted  hopes." 

"Faugh !"  exclaimed  the  minister,  "how  our 
delicate  and  sensitive  natures  recoil  from  the 
dead,  the  instinct  of  nature !  It  matters  not  how 
we  live  or  how  refined  our  habits,  though  our 
food  were  as  sweet  scented  as  violets,  our  drink 
distilled  dew,  though  we  .sipped  the  nectar  and 
ambrosia  of  the  Gods  or  fed  on  the  coarsest 
fare,  we  shall  be  the  same  tempting  morsels  for 
worms." 

"True,  true.  I  think  it  would  be  better  to 
have  the  corpse  of  Arnold  removed." 

"I  will  not  consent  to  it.  Let  the  funeral  take 
place  from  the  parsonage." 

"I  shall  have  to  send,  then,  for  some  of  the 
fraternity  and  have  the  rites  performed  according 
to  the  dead  man's  religion." 

"Do  so.  There  is  even  a  change  in  burying 
people  now." 


THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT  457 

"Yes,  the  orthodox  Jews  of  former  times 
placed  the  coffin  on  the  floor,  the  shrouds  were 
all  uniformly  made,  no  flowers  were  strewn  on 
the  coffin  and  none  planted  in  the  cemeteries.  No 
marble  column  towering  to  the  sky,  with  iron 
railing  surrounding  the  plot  of  many  colored 
blossoms,  marked  the  rich  man's  grave.  These 
customs  indicated  that  after  death  all  are  equal." 

"So  now  those  severe  and  levelling  simplici 
ties  are  discarded,  are  they?" 

"Yes,  except  in  ultra  orthodox  communities. 
To-day  the  Jewish  cemeteries  bloom  as  the  rose, 
and  a  beautiful  custom  it  is;  thus  death  loses  half 
of  its  terror.  Flowers  are  such  a  beautiful  trib 
ute  to  the  living  and  the  dead,  for  they  are  sweet 
and  pure  as  the  dew-drops  from  heaven.  In  the 
city  of  the  dead  the  flowers,  with  their  frag 
rance  and  nodding  corrolas,  say :  'I  die  every  year 
and  live  again  in  undiminished  beauty,'  So  mor 
tals  die,  only  to  live  over  again  a  more  beauti 
ful  life." 

When  Mrs.  Arnold  saw  her  husband  in  his 
coffin,  in  a  white  linen  shroud,  with  tapers  burn 
ing  on  each  side  of  him,  her  composure  again 
deserted  her  and  she  wept  freely.  She  kissed  his 
cold  brow;  it  thrilled  her  like  an  electric  shock. 
Her  love  for  her  aunt  and  uncle  was  not  great, 
therefore  it  was  the  first  time  that  her  lips  came 
in  contact  with  lifeless  flesh. 

The  lid  was  screwed  down  and  the  weeping 
widow  fell  upon  Laura's  neck  for  sympathy. 
Through  the  liberality  of  Lavalle,  the  coffin  was 


458          THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT 

profusely  decked  with  wreaths  and  bouquets  of 
tube-roses  and  white  jasmine. 

Montmartre,  with  a  dignitary  of  the  synagogue, 
also  accompanied  the  hearse.  Arrived  at  the 
Jewish  cemetery,  Arnold  was  buried  in  conform 
ity  with  his  faith,  and  the  ceremony  closed  with 
the  words,  "The  Lord  gave  and  the  Lord  hath 
taken  away."  The  Unitarian  minister  simply 
said,  "Dust  thou  art;  into  dust  thou  shalt  re 
turn."  In  a  few  moments  the  shovels  were  at 
work  throwing  the  clods  of  earth  upon  the  coffin, 
sending  back  hollow  and  reverberating  sounds. 

"You  must  not  go  back  to  the  hotel,  Mrs.  Ar 
nold,"  remonstrated  Laura  after  the  funeral. 
"Our  quiet  home  is  better  for  you  now  than  to  go 
there  and  be  subjected  to  the  gaze  of  so  many 
strangers.  You  must  abide  with  us  until  you 
go  to  your  parents."  And,  weary  and  heartsick, 
Mrs.  Arnold  yielded  to  her  kind  and  considerate 
solicitations. 

"Jesus  says,"  added  Laura,  "  'not  one  sparrow 
shall  fall  unheeded  to  the  ground,  and  are  ye  not 
more  than  sparrows?'  In  this  room  some  little 
robins  come  pecking  at  the  window-sills  to  receive 
their  crumbs  of  bread  which  I  daily  give  them. 
They  will  teach  you  that  God  will  not  forget  you. 
Here,  untrammeled,  you  can  perform  any  service 
your  religion  requires." 

"How  good  and  liberal  minded  you  are." 

"My  belief  teaches  me  that  each  individual 
should  do  as  his  or  her  conscience  dictates  in  mat 
ters  of  religion.  The  thoughts  of  my  brother  and 
myself  run  in  the  same  current  with  an  eminent 
divine,  who  remarked  'Ever  be  ready  to  listen  to 


THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT  459 

what  any  honest  man  has  said,  for  no  human 
mind  has  ever  seen  the  whole  truth/  so  we  never 
interfere  with  any  person's  honest  religion." 

Mrs.  Arnold  sat  in  her  room  in  her  black  dress, 
mourning  for  her  dead.  She  had  grown  much 
older  and  the  inroads  on  her  beauty  had  been 
deeper  than  a  short  term  of  wedded  life  should 
cause.  Dark  purple  rings  were  under  her  eyes, 
which  had  lost  much  of  their  vivacious  sparkle, 
with  which  she  had  enthralled  the  imagination  of 
men ;  neither  were  her  lips  as  tempting  as  before. 
Notwithstanding  these  changes  she  was  still  love 
ly.  Her  beauty  was  softer  and  somewhat  refined 
through  suffering,  and  struck  more  favorably 
upon  the  attentive  observer. 

"Well,  dear,"  said  Laura  as  Mrs.  Arnold's 
fingers  toyed  with  the  Bible,  "what  have  you 
been  reading?" 

"The  Book  of  Job." 

"It  is  a  beautiful  legend,  and  his  resignation 
under  such  manifold  afflictions  should  reconcile 
you  to  the  inevitable.  His  unbounded  faith  in 
God,  as  he  says,  'Though  he  slay  me,  yet  will  I 
trust  in  him/  manifests  the  sublimity  of  his  soul. 
Why  not  try  to  imitate  him?" 

"I  have  no  energy  for  anything,  Miss  Mont- 
martre.  Your  brother  and  Mr.  Lavalle  have  been 
in  to  see  me  to-day.  Your  brother  read  to  me 
some  of  those  truths  which  have  comforted  man 
for  ages.  I  can  never  repay  his  goodness  or  yours, 
either." 

"We  have  done  nothing,  Mr.  Lavalle ' 

"Pray  forgive  me  for  interrupting  you,  but  I 
know  under  what  a  heavy  debt  of  obligation  I 


460  THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT 

am  to  him.  He  has  acted  very  delicately  and 
generously  towards  me.  Your  kindness  engen 
ders  confidence.  You  know  the  history  of  my 
husband  and  may  as  well  know  mine.  Shall  I 
give  you  a  leaf  of  it?" 

"If  it  is  not  too  painful  to  you." 

"Never  mind  the  pain,  I  must  endure  it.  Only 
I  beg  you  to  be  lenient  in  your  judgment." 

"I  try  my  best  never  to  be  harsh." 

"I  deceived  my  cousin,"  pursued  the  widow  in 
a  low  voice  and  with  downcast  eyes.  "I  en 
deavored  to  tear  Lavalle  from  her,  but  do  not 
forget,  Grace  was  an  only  child  and  rich.  I,  one 
of  many  and  poor.  I  knew  nothing  of  Arnold 
having  the  jewels  until  after  I  married  him,  and 
then  I  could  not  and  would  not  wear  one  of 
them." 

"That  was  a  good  trait,"  broke  in  Laura. 

"I  did  not  find  happiness  in  my  married  life. 
Mr.  Arnold  was  a  loving  and  devoted  husband 
for  a  few  months,  then  he  grew  weary  of  me, 
and  innumerable  storms  arose  on  the  domestic 
horizon.  What  was  wanting  I  could  not  tell." 

"Deep  conjugal  affection;  the  diamond  of  mar 
ried  life  was  not  there." 

"It  was  on  my  part,  I  assure  you.  My  husband 
gave  unbridled  license  to  his  passions,  gambled 
heavily,  drank  deeply  and  indulged  in  all  the  ac 
companying  evils  that  the  sisters  of  sin  and  mis 
ery  bring  in  their  train.  His  eloquence  forsook 
him.  Many  a  time  his  trembling  limbs  and  vio 
lent  gestures  were  evident  suggestions  that  they 
were  induced  by  other  emotions  than  those  of  his 


THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT  461 

thesis.  His  audiences  grew  thin;  he  grew  sullen 
and  saturnine." 

"You  should  have  attempted  to  bring  him  back 
into  the  right  path." 

"He  left  me  alone  at  the  hotel  for  days.  If  I 
murmured  he  cursed  me,  if  I  were  silent  he  up 
braided  me.  I  could  not  reform  him,"  continued 
Mrs.  Arnold  mournfully. 

"You  must  have  been  very  unhappy." 

"You  may  well  say  so,  my  dear  Miss  Mont- 
martre,  when  I  tell  you  love  flourished  on  such  a 
soil.  Alas !  for  the  inconsistency  of  human  na 
ture,  but  it  was  so.  '  Tis  true,  'tis  pity,  and  pity 
'tis  'tis  true.'  I  loved  him  better  than  anyone 
else  in  the  world  and  I  would  have  sacri 
ficed  myself  to  any  visible  or  invisible  demon 
who  could  have  procured  me  his  sincere  and  per 
manent  affection.  Finally  I  grew  pale,  haggard 
and  enervated ;  murmured  and  became  cross  and 
irritable.  Letters  from  home  were  not  encourag 
ing;  business  was  dull,  mother  and  children  were 
sick." 

"In  your  low  spirits  these  letters  must  have 
stirred  up  a  keen  aching  for  home." 

"And  a  longing  for  my  mother,  though  I  never 
told  my  husband.  When  he  informed  me  that 
his  purse  was  low  by  the  excessive  drains  upon 
it — the  jewelry  had  all  been  disposed  of  and  the 
proceeds  swallowed  up  the  first  year — and  that 
he  would  have  to  turn  his  face  from  'the  critical 
East'  I  thanked  God.  One  day  when  he  was  in 
a  cheerful  mood  he  told  me  I  should  go  with 
him  to  see  my  parents,  then  to  St.  Louis  or  Chi- 


462  THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURREN? 

cago,  and  from  there  start  to  California,  the  Mec 
ca  of  the  United  States." 

"And  you  proceeded  thus  far  on  your  journey 
when  that  fatal  accident  occurred,  eh?" 

"Yes,"  returned  Mrs.  Arnold  weeping,  "we 
arrived  too  late  on  Saturday  for  him  to  make 
arrangements  to  lecture.  He  was  fond  of  driv 
ing  and  took  a  team  Sunday  with  the  very  last 
piece  of  coin  he  had.  He  was  so  kind  that  day 
that  I  fondly  hoped  a  return  of  those  sweet,  hal 
cyon  days  following  our  marriage." 

"God  knows  best,"  softly  murmured  Laura. 

"I  hope  you  will  not  think  me  an  undutiful  wid 
ow  for  divulging  so  much  of  my  experience  with 
him.  I  feel  relieved  by  imparting  it  to  you.  I 
would  not  tell  a  word  to  my  parents  or  to  any 
other  living  being  but  you  for  untold  wealth.  I 
can  trust  you,  can  I  not?" 

"As  if  it  were  locked  in  your  own  mind." 

"And  you  do  not  consider  me  utterly  bad?" 

"I  do  not.  You  have  acted  wrong  towards 
your  cousin,  very  wrong.  Let  your  future  good 
ness  atone  for  it." 

"I  vowed  mentally  beside  my  dead  husband  to 
make  amends  as  far  as  possible.  And  has  not 
God  punished  me?"  said  Mrs.  Arnold  excitedly. 

"Calm  yourself.  Lie  down  and  take  a  rest. 
Remember,  sincere  repentance  for  the  fault  you 
have  committed  will  obtain  forgiveness  of  our 
merciful  Father." 

Mrs.  Arnold  had  not  told  Laura  how  in  those 
long,  dreary  hours  of  night — watching,  waiting 
and  heart-ache  for  her  husband,  her  mind,  left 
to  itself,  would  unravel  the  threads  spun  around 


THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT  463 

the  years  of  her  existence,  and  as  it  unwound  her 
past  life  lay  before  her.  She  had  long  been  ac 
customed  to  craftiness,  but  she  grew  timorous 
and  was  afraid  of  the  voices  which  clamored 
around  her. 

We  all  have  voices  gentle  or  clamorous  as  good 
or  evil  predominates  within  us. 

Mrs.  Arnold's  faults  shone  clearer  and  clearer 
as  each  one  filed  by  in  rapid  succession,  and  the 
end  of  the  panorama  would  be,  Grace  on  her  knees 
in  the  convent  cell.  Of  course  with  the  return 
of  Arnold  or  of  the  rising  sun  her  fears  were  dis 
pelled,  and  she  laughed  at  her  nervousness  and 
trepidation  of  the  night,  declaring  she  would 
never  more  give  way  to  such  absurd  fancies  of 
the  brain.  But  with  watching,  suspense  and  loss 
of  sleep  the  same  voices  would  call  and  the  same 
frightful  visions  would  reappear  with  increased 
power.  These  semaphores  of  an  awakening  con 
science  will  assert  themselves  to  the  guilty  and, 
like  Banquo's  ghost,  "Will  not  down." 


464  THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT 


CHAPTER  XLI. 

"Laura,"  said  Montmartre,  "I  am  placed  in 
a  painful  position  to  be  compelled  to  infoim 
Lavalle  about  Grace." 

"But  you  suffer  from  the  same  cause,  Ar 
thur.  Like  all  powerful  and  noble  natures,  you 
are  not  thinking  of  the  arrow  in  your  own 
heart,  but  of  the  one  that  must  pierce  your 
friends." 

"From  the  moment  of  Lavalle's  voluntary 
confession  I  conceived  a  strong  friendship  for 
him ;  now  that  the  battle  with  my  temptation 
is  over,  it  daily  increases." 

"The  only  way,  dear  brother,  to  extricate 
yourself  from  an  unpleasant  duty  is  to  execute 
it  quickly." 

"You  are  right.  I  have  been  occupied  a  few 
days  with  Arnold's  funeral,  and  the  confusion 
attendant  upon  it  prevented  me.  Every  mo 
ment  seems  a  century  until  I  have  it  off  my 
mind." 

"Why  did  you  not  tell  him  to-day?" 

"I  was  disturbed  and  he  was  restless  and  did 
not  remain  long,  but  the  next  time  he  comes  I 
must  see  to  it." 

The  following  day  when  Lavalle  called  he 
was  ushered  into  the  minister's  study  as  the 
latter  had  directed.  After  the  customary  salu- 


THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT  465 

tations,  Lavalle  inadvertently  commenced  on 
the  theme  which  the  minister  most  earnestly 
desired  and  over  which  he  had  puzzled  his 
brain  all  morning  how  to  introduce. 

"I  must  soon  be  moving;  the  impulse  is 
strong  upon  me,  and,  dear  friend,  I  must  fol 
low  it.  I  have  no  peace.  Would  you  believe  it, 
last  night  I  heard  Grace  calling  me  to  come 
and  see  her  once  more.  I  made  a  memorandum 
of  the  date.  I  would  like  to  ask  Mrs.  Arnold 
about  her,  but  have  not  the  courage.  I  must 
go,  though,  as  the  voice  tells  me  I  must  do  so 
without  delay."  Lavalle  talked  to  Dr.  Mont- 
martre  on  this  subject  without  reserve  and 
without  blushing. 

"Man,  you  are  overtasked.  You  have  re 
cently  gone  through  a  severe  ordeal.  The 
sight  of  Mrs.  Arnold  has  only  vividly  recalled 
the  past,  and  you  have  allowed  your  mind  to 
dwell  constantly  upon  it.  "No,"  continvied  the 
minister,  very  sadly,  "Grace  does  not  call  you." 

"Well,  well,  sir,  I  tell  you,  the  fire  was  blaz 
ing  brightly  in  my  room  and  I  was  smoking  a 
cigar.  I  had  not  been  thinking  of  any  particu 
lar  thing,  but  was  allowing  my  thoughts  to  run 
at  random,  when  finally  a  picture  of  Grace  rose 
before  me.  It  appeared  as  if  she  were  in  the 
deepest  dejection.  I  said  to  myself,  as  if  awak 
ening  from  a  dream,  'Ho !  man,  no  weak  fan 
cies,  no  overheated  brain.'  I  went  to  the  win 
dow  and  opened  it.  The  piercing  wind  dashed 
a  chill  over  me  and  extinguished  the  fire  of  my 
imagination.  I  closed  the  window,  reseated 
myself  before  the  table,  intending  to  write  a 


'466  THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT 

business  letter  which  I  had  neglected,  fully  de 
termined  to  banish  all  conjuring  phantoms.  I 
had  no  sooner  commenced  to  write  than  I 
heard  my  name  called  twice  in  a  very  low, 
quavering  tone,  but  with  a  distinct  articula 
tion.  It  was  her  voice,"  and  Lavalle's  face 
flushed  with  excitement. 

"Friend,  brother,  I  may  say,  as  we  are  all 
children  of  one  Father,  I  feel  nearer  to  you 
than  you  imagine.  Still,  I  must  wound  you  by 
telling  you  something  which  Arnold  confessed 
to  me  on  his  death-bed,  since  which  time  I  have 
neither  had  the  opportunity  nor  the  courage  to 
speak  to  you  of  it.  Shall  I  tell  you  or  will  you 
read  this  paper?" 

"Proceed,  but  give  me  the  paper;  I  shall  keep 
it.  Undoubtedly  it  concerns  Grace." 

"It  does."  Then  the  minister  narrated  what 
Arnold  had  told  him;  how  he  had  loved  Grace, 
how  she  declined,  then  scorned  his  renewed  pro 
posal,  and  that  in  his  desire  for  revenge  he  in 
veigled  her  reckless  father  to  gamble  with  him, 
drew  him  into  his  clutches,  and  thereupon  de 
manded  her  hand  or  the  money.  That,  to  save 
her  father,  and  at  his  command,  she  hypothe 
cated  the  jewels,  the  possession  of  which  Ar 
nold  obtained  by  some  chicanery. 

"Hold!"  said  Lavalle,  as  the  clergyman  was 
about  to  proceed.  "Say  no  more.  I  suffocate 
with  remorse.  I  wish  I  could  fly  to  her;  rail 
and  steam  are  too  slow.  Oh,  good  and  pure 
angel,  I  did  not  know  you  were  made  of  such 
strong  fiber  as  to  relinquish  all  on  the  altar  of 
parental  affection.  Thou  wast  the  sacrifice,  but 


THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT  467 

for  thee,  poor  girl,  there  was  no  substitute  sent 
to  save.  Dear  friend,  I  must  bid  you  good-bye. 
I  am  off  to  my  darling." 

"Come  back,  rash  and  impetuous  young  man. 
My  heart  bleeds  for  you,  but  I  have  not  yet  fin 
ished.  You  must  remember,"  and  the  poor 
minister  spoke  distinctly  and  bravely,  "her  ac 
tion  was  a  sin  in  the  eye  of  God  and  man.  De 
ception,  though  committed  from  the  purest  of 
motives,  is  yet  not  acceptable  unto  God.  Had 
her  course  been  upright,  you  would  not  have 
deserted  her,  but  might  have  been  induced  to 
assist  her  father.  But  as  it  was,  he,  afterwards, 
in  a  moment  of  remorse,  shame  and  agony, 
committed  suicide.  The  mother,  having  had 
heart-disease,  succumbed  to  the  fatal  malady, 
her  death  being  accelerated  by  the  event 
and " 

"Stay.  Condemn  her  not.  Her  parents  dead 
too !  I  thank  God  you  have  never  loved  her  as 
I  do.  As  long  as  she  was  only  obedient,  you 
must  not  call  the  most  unselfish  offering — sin. 
I  am  breathless  to  take  her  to  my  arms  and 
cherish  her  all  the  more  kindly  for  having 
passed  through  such  harrowing  trials.  Poor 
wounded  dove." 

The  minister  wiped  the  perspiration  of  agony 
from  his  brow.  God  knows  how  he  had  loved 
her,  and,  misery,  he  loved  her  still;  but  it  was 
absolute  torture  to  be  compelled  to  inform  La- 
valle  that  Grace  was  irrevocably  lost  to  him. 
He  felt  his  courage  exuding  through  his  fingers 
at  those  cruel,  deadly  words  that  must  be 
spoken, 


468  THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT 

"Lavalle,"  and  the  minister's  heart  was  in  his 
voice,  "you  do  not  give  me  time  to  finish  what 
I  began  to  tell  you.  You  must  listen  and  be  pa 
tient.  Be  strong  and  show  what  you  can  en 
dure.  You  are  a  man ;  crush  the  pain  and  wear 
a  smile  upon  your  lips.  Grace,  bereft  of  par 
ents,  was  persecuted  b,y  Arnold.  He  renewed 
his  suit  and  increased  his  attentions,  even 
forged  her  father's  hand  to  a  letter  urging  her 
to  become  his  wife;  to  escape  she  took  refuge  in 
a  convent,  turned  Catholic  and  is  now  a  nun." 
He  brought  out  the  words  with  a  spasmodic 
quickness,  which  denoted  the  pain  he  was  un 
dergoing,  but  they  had  done  their  work. 

Had  a  fabled  thunderbolt  fallen  upon  Lavalle 
his  spirit  could  not  have  been  more  crushed. 
He  jumped  up,  held  out  his  hands  in  a  blind, 
staggering  way,  and  said :  "Great  God,  spare 
me  this  last  bitter  stroke.  I,  who  should  have 
been  there  with  her,  far  away ;  she,  poor  crea 
ture,  harassed  with  trouble,  all  alone.  I  awaken 
from  my  delirium  to  discover  that  she  is  inno 
cent  and  was  faithful.  Now  as  I  am  ready  to 
rush  to  her,  I  am  hurled  back  from  my  bliss 
with  such  powerful  hands.  Sacrificed  to  a  con 
vent  life !  I  cannot  bear  it.  Why  did  you  not 
say  she  was  dead  and  buried ;  then  I  might 
have  consoled  myself  planting  flowers  over  her 
grave  and  bedewing  them  with  tears  until  God 
in  His  mercy  would  have  taken  me.  Would 
that  I  could  tear  Arnold  from  his  grave,  give 
him  life,  cut  out  his  palpitating  heart  and  give 
it  to  the  dogs.  That  girl  living  but  dead  to  me ! 
Great  heaven,  I  shall  do  something  desperate. 


'I,  who   should  have  been  there  with   her,   far   away 


THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT  469 

I  shall  go  mad."  He  threw  himself  into  a 
chair  and  wept  burning  but  useless  tears, 
though  they  relieved  the  choking  sensation  in 
his  throat. 

The  minister  did  not  reply,  giving  time  for 
the  storm  and  fury  of  Lavalle's  passion  to  have 
full  sway  and  exhaust  themselves. 

As  Lavalle  had  despaired  and  wept,  now  he 
cursed  and  raved.  "Curse  Arnold;  may  his 
soul  be  in  the  deepest  pit  of  perdition,  may  it 
rest  in  hell,  may  his  thirst  be  eternal  and,  like 
Tantalus,  may  the  cool,  fresh  water  be  placed 
to  his  lips,  but  may  he  never  be  able  to  quench 
his  thirst;  may  flaming  fire  and  molten  lead  be 
poured  down  his  throat.  Gracious  God,  why 
hast  thou  cursed  me  ?  I  would  that  I  had  never 
been  born." 

"Blaspheme  not.  Forgive  as  you  wish  to  be 
forgiven.  Remember  that  Arnold  has  gone  be 
fore  a  higher  court.  'Vengeance  is  mine,  saith 
the  Lord ;  I  will  repay.'  You  were  permitted 
to  smooth  Arnold's  dying  pillow  and  say 
words  of  heavenly  consolation.  'Pray  for  them 
which  despitefully  use  you  and  persecute  you.' 
When  that  terrible  curse " 

"Oh,  it  is  well  for  you  to  clothe  yourself  in 
an  armor  of  Biblical  proverbs,  as  she  could 
never  be  yours.  You  consign  her  with  resigna 
tion  to  the  convent,  but,  as  for  me,  I  must  give 
up  the  warm,  loving  presence,  accept  memory 
and  feed  on  that  bitter  'it  might  have  been.' 
You  have  long  lived  on  the  past,  but  my  love 
was  sown  in  the  soil  of  happiness,  matured  by 
affection's  tears  and  smiles,  grown  to  be  wheat 


47°  THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT 

ready  for  the  gleaner;  the  bread  is  taken  from 
my  hungry  mouth  and  now  you  bid  me  eat 
your  dry  aphorisms !" 

"Mr.  Lavalle,"  and  the  minister's  voice  was 
touching  in  its  pathos  of  wounded  dignity, 
"you  know  not  what  you  say.  God  knows  how 
I  have  schooled  my  feelings  to  be  able  to  think 
that  you  should  possess  and  wear  the  priceless 
jewel.  Though  my  words  may  grate  harshly 
on  your  ear,  my  heart  went  out  to  you  when  I 
thought  of  the  excruciating  pain  this  informa 
tion  would  give  you.  Your  accusation  is  un 
just.  I  have  learned  to  endure  much  for  my 
Master's  sake.  I  shall  lay  my  heart  bare  to 
you.  I  loved  Grace ;  I  do  love  her  still ;  but  it 
is  now  with  the  love  of  a  devoted  brother. 
As  she  loves  you,  I  only  wish  I  could  place  her 
in  your  arms." 

"Nay,  do  not  mind  me.  You  have  been 
much  tried,  but  you  have  seen  and  sympa 
thized  so  much  with  the  affliction  of  others, 
that  you  forget  to  think  of  yourself.  Here  am 
I,  a  worthless  fellow,  living  only  to  gratify 
myself.  Going  along  heretofore  in  a  garden 
of  flowers,  gathering  many,  throwing  them 
away  ere  they  had  time  to  lose  their  freshness, 
for  I  plucked  them  without  perfume ;  I,  who 
could  have  taken  the  rarest  and  most  exquisite 
exotic  to  my  bosom,  stooped  to  cull  this  most 
lovely  wild-rose,  whose  fragrance  exceeded 
them  all.  In  a  moment  of  temporary  insanity 
I  threw  it  away.  Now,  when  I  would  have 
taken  it  back,  treasured  and  guarded  it  with 
my  life,  it  is  taken  in  the  darkness  to  die — no 


THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT  471 

sun  and  no  dew  will  fall  on  it  there  to  keep  it 
fresh.  Oh,  Grace,  Grace  !  you  might  have  made 
a  good  man  out  of  me.  I  form  good  resolu 
tions  often  enough,  but  never  have  steadiness 
of  purpose  to  accomplish  anything.  Now  I 
shall  become  reckless  and  dissipated.  God  only 
knoAvs  how  my  career  will  terminate." 

"Maimonides  translates  from  the  Talmud 
that  'The  golden  ladder  consists  of  eight  steps,' 
and  as  you  give  liberally  when  appealed  to  you 
would,  according  to  that  book,  be  on  the  third 
round  or  step ;  who  knows  but  with  a  little 
more  exertion  you  may  climb  the  other  five ;  I 
believe  you  a  really  good,  generous  fellow,  and 
not  nearly  so  black  as  you  paint  yourself." 

"Yes,  I  am  black.  I  have  never  done  un 
solicited  by  word  or  action  a  good  deed.  If  any 
one  requested  anything  of  me,  and  many  did, 
I  never  refused ;  but  at  no  time  did  I  ever  take 
the  trouble  to  ascertain  whether  it  was  thrown 
away  on  an  impostor,  or  if  any  more  were  re 
quired.  After  that  faux-pas  with  Letitia  I  was 
going  to  turn  over  a  new  leaf,  but  did  not.  So 
Grace  is  taken  from  me;  I  am  miserable;  let 
others  feel  so  too." 

"  'Deus  major  columna.'  Prayer  and  chari 
table  deeds  will  aid  you  to  be  resigned." 

"I  must  see  Grace.  I  cannot  live  without 
seeing  her  once  more,"  and  Lavalle's  face 
flamed  with  excitement. 

"Calm  yourself;  you  will  not  be  allowed  to 
see  her." 

"I  shall  scale  the  walls ;  I  shall  scatter  bolts 
and  bars,"  replied  Lavalle,  greatly  agitated. 


4/'2  THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT 

"Come,  come,  lay  aside  such  absurd  notions. 
Think  of  it ;  Grace  has  entered  the  convent  of 
her  own  free  will.  No  doubt  she  has  been  hap 
pier  there  than  if  she  had  remained  in  the 
world  and  been  persecuted  by  Arnold." 

"I  do  not  blame  the  nuns  for  adding  that 
pure  creature  to  their  number,  but  I  want  her. 
I  shall  go  and  see  her  aunt.  I  must  do  some 
thing.  I  cannot  repress  the  violent  longing  of 
my  soul,  which  prompts  me  to  take  vengeance 
on  some  one." 

"  'Cernit  omnia  Deus  vindex.'  He  will  not 
forget  to  punish  the  guilty  in  His  own  way. 
On  whom  would  you  now  take  vengeance?" 

"If  I  cannot  hold  any  one  accountable,  re 
tribution  shall  fall  on  me,"  and  Lavalle  glared 
around  savagely. 

"Come,"  rejoined  the  minister,  anxious  to  di 
vert  his  mind.  "What  is  to  be  done  with  Mrs. 
Arnold?  Her  parents  telegraphed  her  yester 
day  to  come  home,  but  she  appeared  so  em 
barrassed  that  I  do  not  believe  she  has  suffi 
cient  funds  to  take  her  there  without  disposing 
of  some  trinkets  or  valuables,  even  if  she  has 
any." 

"That  miserable  woman  must  have  jewels, 
wrung  from  my  innocent  one  with  tears  of 
blood." 

"That  woman  is  not  responsible  for  her  hus 
band's  actions." 

"But  you  will  admit,  my  friend,  that  she 
should  answer  for  her  own." 

"Mr.  Lavalle,  if  persons  would  not  forget 
what  temptations  they  lay  out  or  are  too  weak 


THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT  4.73 

to  resist,  they  would  not  be  so  ready  to  con 
demn.  They  would  hold  themselves  more 
amenable  for  their  own  acts  and  there  would  be 
fewer  faults  committed.  We  are  too  ready  to 
say,  with  Adam,  'The  woman  ate  the  apple  and 
did  bid  me  eat.' ': 

"Here  is  money,"  and  Lavalle  laid  down  a 
purse  filled  with  gold.  "I  would  not  have  it 
said  that  I  deny  any  one  in  need,  especially  a 
co-religionist." 

"Now  you  are  good  and  generous,  not 
'worthless,'  as  long  as  your  money  is  applied 
to  doing  good ;  but,  my  dear  Lavalle,  I  hope 
the  day  will  come  when  all  will  be  eager  to  as 
sist  one  of  another  denomination  as  of  their 
own.  Your  people  stand  first  of  all  others  in 
liberality,  not  only  to  your  own  poor,  but  to 
the  poor  of  the  world.  Charity  is  a  command 
of  Judaism,  I  know,  and  it  is  well  and  faith 
fully  observed.  Any  religion  with  alms-giving 
as  one  of  the  principal  precepts  has  much  to 
recommend  it.  The  Mohammedan,  in  which 
charity  forms  the  most  important  part  of  its 
code,  cannot  be  utterly  bad.  Charity  accom 
plishes  a  great  design  of  our  Creator,  viz. : 
sympathy  for  our  fellow  creatures." 

"Do  not  let  me  see  that  woman  again,"  said 
Lavalle,  who  had  not  heard  a  word  of  what 
the  minister  had  said.  "It  maddens  me  to 
think  of  my  folly;  that  I  turned  from  the  gold  to 
the  dross.  I  want  the  gold  now." 

"I  cannot  argue  with  you  to-day.  You  are 
in  the  condition  of  a  child  who  has  seen  the 
sun  sinking  behind  the  western  edge  of  the 


474  THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT 

horizon,  and  while  basking  in  his  rays  has  not 
fully  enjoyed  them.  But  no  sooner  has  the  glo 
rious  orb  of  day  departed  and  it  feels  the  chill 
ing  dew  of  night  than  it  cries  for  the  golden 
ball  to  come  back  again ;  it  is  so  pretty  to  look 
at,  so  warm,  so  life-giving.  No  tears  bring 
back  the  sun  until  the  appointed  time,  neither 
do  they  avail  nor  rectify  past  misdeeds.  The 
past  does  not  belong  to  us  any  more.  It  is  be 
cause  nature's  laws  are  inexorable,  immutable 
and  undying  that  we  look  up  with  mysterious 
awe  and  love  to  the  great  Architect  of  the  uni 
verse." 

As  Lavalle  rose  to  go,  the  minister  kindly  re 
monstrated  with  him,  but  he  broke  out  impetu 
ously:  "I  tell  you  I  am  no  longer  answerable 
for  myself.  I  am  deserted  by  God  and  man.  I 
cannot  help  it  if  my  soul  cries  out,  Murder !" 

The  minister  drew  back  in  horror  and  pity, 
saying:  "Neither  God  nor  man  has  deserted 
you.  Pray " 

"Have  I  not  prayed  to  God,  passionately, 
fervently,  what  more  can  I  do?" 

"Prayer  will  do  you  good,  my  friend,  for  it  is 
an  infallible  tonic  for  a  distressed  heart,  but  it 
is  not  efficacious  in  altering  the  Divine  will. 
Neither  prayers,  tears,  entreaties,  expostula 
tions,  nor  good  intentions  can  affect  this ;  and 
it  is  well  that  it  is  not  so,  for  God  alone  errs 
not  in  His  acts.  Let  us  therefore  humble  our 
hearts  to  Him  who  in  His  wisdom  and  good 
ness  provides  for  our  wants  before  we  are  cre 
ated.  Though  we  are  often  inclined  to  rebel 
lion,  we  know  not  the  issue  of  events,  and  by  pa- 


THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT  475 

tiently  waiting  we  may  rejoice  ultimately  at 
those  very  occurrences  which  we  before  la 
mented." 

"If  I  could  only  see  her!" 

"Grace  can  be  no  more  to  you  than  if  she 
were  dead  and  buried.  1  cannot  feed  you  on 
false  hopes.  There  is  no  alternative  for  you 
but  to  bow  your  head  in  submission  to  the  Di 
vine  will  and  console  yourself  with  those  words 
and  maxims  which  are  now  as  dry  to  you  as 
desert  sands." 

"I  am  too  stiff-necked.    I  am " 

"Listen  to  me  before  you  say  something  ir 
reverent.  I  shall  do  for  you  what  I  would  do 
for  few,  to  show  that  God  is  ever  nigh.  In  your 
extremity  of  passionate  despair  He  has  raised 
you  up  a  friend  who  will  remain  with  you  day 
and  night  until  your  grief  is  assuaged  and  you 
can  say:  'Leave  me;  I  am  strong  enough.  I 
can  walk  alone.  God  has  girded  me  with 
strength.  Thy  will  be  done.'  Last  summer 
the  members  of  my  congregation  were  desir 
ous  of  my  taking  a  few  weeks'  vacation  from 
my  labors  of  love,  but  I  refused.  Though  they 
may  demur  at  my  going  for  such  a  length  of 
time  and  will  miss  me — no  more  than  I  shall 
them — they  will  not  refuse  me.  I  think  I  shall 
travel  with  you  and  show  you  the  misery  and 
destitution  of  the  world.  Admitting  you  can 
not  find  the  happiness  your  soul  craves  for  in 
love,  yet  you  may  find  peace  in  administering 
to  the  wants  of  others.  This  idea  has  come 
upon  me  like  a  flash  and  I  have  acted  upon  it 
without  a  moment's  hesitation." 


476  THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT 

"Will  you  first  go  to  D ,  and  endeavor  to 

see  Grace?  Promise;  then  I  shall  have  some 
thing  to  live  for,"  and  the  clergyman  solemnly 
promised. 

The  minister  desired  to  rescue  Lavalle  from 
his  worst  enemy,  himself.  It  was  a  precious 
thing  to  this  servant  of  God  to  save  another 
mortal  soul,  and  it  was  a  more  savory  offering 
unto  the  Lord  than  ten  thousand  converts. 

"Laura,"  said  her  brother,  after  Lavalle's  de 
parture,  "to  save  our  friend,  who  cannot  yet 
reconcile  himself  to  the  loss  of  Grace,  I  intend 
to  travel  with  him  and  attempt  to  see  her.  I 
feel  sure  you  will  accompany  us,"  and  as  she 
nodded  in  the  affirmative,  he  continued :  "I  ap 
prehend  the  mission  will  be  a  sad  one. 
Though  Mrs.  Arnold  is  anxious  to  start,  I 
think  she  had  better  wait  and  go  with  us.  You 
can  advise  her  in  a  delicate  way  not  to  intrude 
upon  Lavalle,  as  his  despair  is  so  great." 

"Leave  that  to  me,"  replied  Laura  briskly. 

A  few  days  afterwards  the  Rev.  Dr.  Mont- 
martre  secured  his  leave  of  absence,  and  with 
Laura,  Lavalle  and  Mrs.  Arnold  departed  for 

D .  Lavalle  remained  in  the  smoking  car 

or  lounged  on  the  platform  with  the  minister. 
On  the  near  approach  to  D —  -  he  shut  himself 
up  in  his  drawing-room,  wrapped  in  his  own 
gloomy  thoughts,  conjuring  what  dire  ven 
geance  he  would  have  taken  upon  Arnold  if  he 
had  not  escaped  his  grasp. 


THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT  477 


CHAPTER  XLII. 

"Amelia,  have  I  not  waited  long  enough? 
The  term  of  probation  has  expired  some 
months  ago,  still  you  hesitate  to  appoint  the 
day.  My  'heart  grows  sick  with  hope  de 
ferred,'  "  said  Everard. 

"Mark,  you  know  father's  health  is  delicate." 

"Why  need  that  interfere  with  our  mar 
riage  ?" 

"I  cannot  leave  him ;  even  my  great  love  for 
you  will  not  cause  me  to  do  that." 

"Is  it  possible,  dear,  that  you  have  known 
me  this  long  time  and  still  do  not  understand 
me?  You  are  everything  to  your  father  and 
shall  remain  so." 

"Are  you  satisfied  that  I  divide  my  atten 
tion?  Reflect  well.  Father  is  half -paralyzed 
again;  sickness  has  made  him  irritable.  As  long 
as  he  lives  I  wish  to  administer  to  his  wants;  he 
would  resent,  it  as  deep  ingratitude  if  he  were 
intrusted  to  servants,  and  I  feel  that  I  am  bet 
ter  adapted  to  attend  to  him  than  Alice." 

"Indeed  you  are,  my  precious  Amelia,  and  I 
more  so  than  Charlie.  We  are  both  more  seri 
ous.  So,  darling,  come ;  no  more  scruples.  I 
shall  be  as  devoted  to  Mr.  Hill  as  if  I  were  his 
actual  son.  Is  he  not  the  father  of  my  trans 
cendent  Amelia — the  ne  plus  ultra  of  all  that  is 
good?" 


478  THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT 

"Ah !  flatterer,  what  else  have  you  to  say?" 

"That  we  get  married  without  delay !  How 
about  the  performance  of  the  marriage  cere 
mony?"  continued  Everard,  falteringly. 

"We  must  first  procure  a  license,  I  suppose," 
returned  Amelia  provokingly. 

"That  is  easily  enough  obtained.  I  suppose 
we  shall  have  to  be  twice  married,  by  the  min 
ister  and  by  the  rabbi.  We  shall  be  securely 
bound,  Amelia." 

"A  rabbi?"  returned  she,  panting.  "I  have 
never  seen  one.  I  am  frightened." 

"If  the  idea  makes  you  nervous,  dear,  let  it 
be  by  the  minister  only,  or,  better  still,  by  the 
Justice  of  the  Peace.  Any  one  authorized  to 
solemnize  the  sacred  rite  will  answer  as  well. 
In  becoming  my  wife,  Amelia,  I  want  nothing 
connected  with  my  religion  that  is  repugnant  to 
you.  Have  it  as  you  will." 

"Dear  Mark,  let  the  marriage  be  a  comprom 
ise,  and  let  us  have  our  mutual  friend,  Judge 
Evans,  perform  the  ceremony." 

"So  be  it.  And  now,  as  that  momentous 
question  is  settled,  do  you  not  think  your 
father  will  be  able  to  dispense  with  your  care 
for  a  few  months?  You  can  trust  Alice  that 
length  of  time." 

"Indeed  we  can.  She  is  one  of  the  best  and 
most  attentive  of  nurses  and  is  more  than  will 
ing,"  rejoined  Amelia,  blushing.  "And  when 
we  come  back  we  shall  live  in  the  old  home 
stead  with  father." 

"Yes,  precious,  you  will  have  to  accept  me 
as  a  permanent  boarder  then.  If  your  father 


THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT  479 

becomes  strong  and  you  are  willing,  we  may 
move  to  St.  Louis,  as  the  field  is  larger  there, 
though  I  am  coining  money  here,  so  to  speak." 

"Yes,  dear  Mark,  you  are  a  famous  man  al 
ready.  You  are  called  in  criminal  cases  far 
and  wide.  Do  not  go  away  from  here.  I  love 
the  old  place,  with  its  dear,  old  associations. 
As  for  father,  it  would  be  snapping  a  part  of  his 
life  if  he  were  taken  away  from  mother's 
grave." 

"Say  no  more.  Until  you  say,  'Mark,  let  us 
seek  new  faces,'  I  shall  not  mention  it." 

"And,  Mark,"  responded  she,  with  tears  in 
her  eyes,  "when  we  are  married  you  must 
strike  out  politically  and  have  your  seat  as  a 
Judge." 

"My  Amelia  is  ambitious.  Your  suggestion, 
jewel,  has  given  instantaneous  conception  to 
noble  aspirations.  If  I  live,  please  God,  you 
shall  be  the  wife  of  a  Judge." 

"It  is  not  for  m}r  elevation  I  care,  but  for 
yours.  Father  has  powerful  and  influential 
friends,  even  Charlie  can  boast  of  a  host  of 
them ;  so  there  is  a  fine  prospect  for  my  candi 
date." 

"What  an  admirable  politician  you  are.  But 
you  have  not  calculated  that  your  friends  may 
desert  you  after  marriage." 

"They  will  not  when  they  come  to  know 
what  a  noble  man  you  are." 

"Now  I  can  repeat  your  word  'flatterer.'  Let 
us  be  united  and  start  immediately  on  our  tour. 
May  the  great  Father  of  all  grant  that  our  mar- 


480  THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT 

riage  have  a  rosy  ending,"  and  Everard  sealed 
the  words  with  a  kiss. 

Several  days  after  this  conversation  their 
marriage  was  announced  in  the  papers,  and 
when  Berkhoff  read  it,  he  rushed  home  like  one 
demented.  "Rebecca,"  cried  he,  "just  guess 
what  has  happened?" 

"For  heaven's  sake,  tell  me  right  off;  from 
your  looks  it  must  be  something  terrible." 

"Oh,  my  God !"  exclaimed  Mrs.  Silverbaum ; 
"has  your  store  burned  up  and  no  insurance?" 

"Everard  has  married  Amelia  Hill  and  gone 
traveling!" 

"Is  that  all?"  asked  Mrs.  Berkhoff,  with  a 
sigh  of  relief.  "Have  you  not  long  expected 
it?" 

"Yes,  but  I  prayed  that  it  wouldn't  come  to 
pass.  The  man  is  blind,  blind." 

"Oh,  he  will  never  be  happy." 

"There  is  no  telling,  he  may  be,"  said  Re 
becca. 

"How  can  he  be,  Rebecca?  If  you  work  for 
one  thing  and  I  for  another  can  that  bring  hap 
piness?  It  is  all  very  well  now,  but  if  the  fu 
ture  should  bring  children,  they  will  hear  dif 
ferent  ideas  about  God  and  about  this  and  that, 
and  it  will  end  by  believing  in  nothing  and 
possibly  in  a  divorce.  Everard,  Everard,  what 
have  you  done  ?" 

"Come,  never  mind,  Berkhoff;  if  Mr.  Ever 
ard  is  satisfied,  I  see  no  reason  why  you  should 
not  be." 

"Rebecca,  my  \vife,"  said  Berkhoff  mourn 
fully. 


THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT  481 

"Rebecca,  my  daughter,"  screamed  the 
mother. 

"Well,  can  you  alter  it?  If  I  had  been  Mr. 
Everard  I  would  not  have  married  her,  but  as 
he  did,  he  must  take  the  consequences.  Must 
we  worry  ourselves  to  death  over  it?" 

"Bad  times,"  returned  Mrs.  Silverbaum. 

"I  should  think  so,"  continued  Mr.  Berkhoff. 
"See  what  has  happened  in  this  miserable  town 
• — it  could  only  happen  here  too — Grace  Feld  a 
nun  and  now  this." 

"I  am  sorry  for  Grace  Feld,"  said  Mrs.  Berk 
hoff,  "for  I  think  and  know  that  trouble  drove 
her  there.  Mercy,  how  I  shudder  when  I  think 
of  her !  I  should  go  mad  there." 

"Indeed,  my  sunflower,  you  would  die  in  that 
place.  But  as  you  will  never  be  there,  it  is  no 
use  to  trouble  over  things  which  will  never 
happen." 

"If  Grace  Feld  had  been  happily  married, 
poor  thing,  as  I  am,  the  cloister  would  have 
been  an  impossibility  too.  What  an  unfortu 
nate  family !  Mrs.  Rheinberg  feels  wretched 
over  the  dispatch  she  received  yesterday  of 
the  death  of  Mr.  Arnold.  I  am  sorry,  though 
I  dislike  Mrs.  Arnold;  she  was  always  proud, 
insolent  and  crafty.  She  thought  she  could 
conquer  the  world  with  her  beauty." 

"Well,  my  dear,  we  all  have  faults,  though 
you  are  nearer  perfection  than  any  one  I  know 
of." 

"Good,"  said  Mrs.  Berkhoff,  candidly,  "I 
like  praise.  Mr.  Everard  has  many  faults;  he 


482  THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT 

forgot  to  invite  his  old  friends.  Ashamed  of  us 
perhaps." 

"But  the  poor  fellow  knows  I  should  have  felt 
too  bad  to  come,  that's  the  reason.  He  is  too 
good  to  be  ashamed  of  any  one." 

"Ah!  You  possess  such  a  good  heart.  You 
judge  every  one  by  yourself.  I  know  you,  you 
dear;  you  are  ashamed  of  people  only  when  they 
do  wrong,  and  for  your  sake  I  shall  judge  him 
leniently.' 

"Berkhoff  is  a  gold  mine,"  said  Mrs.  Silver- 
baum,  affectionately  patting  her  son-in-law  on 
the  shoulder. 


THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT  483 


CHAPTER  XLIII. 

Nearly  two  dreary  years  had  passed  away 
since  Grace  had  been  received  as  a  novice  in 
the  convent.  She  was  now  known  by  the  name 
of  Sister  Catharine,  and  in  a  few  days  was  to 
take  the  vows  which  would  confirm  her  per 
petual  marriage  to  Christ.  She  had  not  grown 
very  strong  since  her  severe  illness.  Lack  of 
exercise  in  the  open  air,  close  application  to 
religious  reading  and  minute  devotion  to  du 
ties  all  combined  to  tell  on  the  young  sister, 
who,  like  a  plant  in  the  dark,  could  not  thrive 
without  the  enlivening  rays  of  the  sun.  Her 
forehead,  white  as  Carrara  marble,  from  much 
thought  had  slight  contractions ;  her  cheeks 
had  lost  their  delicate  bloom  and  their  plump 
ness  ;  her  eyes,  bluer  than  ever,  though  sunken 
in  their  sockets,  appeared  like  two  cerulean 
lakes,  deep  and  unfathomable.  She  was  thin 
to  emaciation,  for  by  many  fasts  she  had  de 
prived  herself  of  much  necessary  nourish 
ment.  Her  lips  and  hands  were  tremulous  with 
nervous  excitement.  With  the  zeal  of  the  apostate 
she  was  not  content  in  performing  the  devotions 
and  penances  required.  She  was  utterly  miserable 
and  despondent  when  not  engaged  in  religious 
exercises.  It  was  no  longer  for  peace,  which 
at  first  had  drawn  her — the  refugee  from  per 
secution — into  Catholicism,  but  because  she 


484  THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT 

was  infatuated  with  the  very  religion  itself. 
The  now  zealous  nun  would  have  fain  exer 
cised  the  same  power  over  all  those  with 
whom  she  came  in  contact. 

"Sister  Louise,"  said  Sister  Benedicta,  "I  am 
afraid  Sister  Catharine  will  make  herself  ill ; 
she  is  so  very  rigid  in  observing  everything, 
even  more  than  is  necessary." 

"I  am  afraid  of  the  same  thing.  Her  con 
fessor  remonstrates  with  her  over  and  over 
again  for  carrying  her  devotions  and  self- 
inflicted  punishments  to  such  an  extreme.  Ex 
postulations  are  of  no  avail  whatever.  When 
ever  I  say  anything  to  her  about  being  over- 
zealous,  she  invariably  answers  by  reciting  an 
example  of  some  of  the  martyrs  in  the  cata 
logues  of  saints,  and  reminds  me  of  how  many 
steps  she  has  yet  to  climb  ere  she  can  reach 
the  ideal  of  human  perfection  and  sanctity. 
Thus  every  word  of  condemnation  only  adds 
fresh  fuel  to  the  flames." 

"I  have  never  seen  such  a  good,  holy  person. 
Just  as  soon  as  a  scholar  conies  into  the  build 
ing  who  is  not  in  the  fold  she  immediately  begs 
permission  of  Mother  Superior  and  of  her  con 
fessor  to  exorcise  the  evil  that  she  thinks  must 
necessarily  exist  in  such  a  being  and  bring 
her  under  the  guidance  of  our  holy  church. 
When  the  new  Protestant  boarder  came  the 
other  day,  I  heard  her  say  to  Mother  Therese, 
her  fine,  blue  eyes  swimming  in  tears,  'Culpa 
mea,  culpa  mea,  I  must  rescue  that  sinking 
soul  and  save  my  own.'  " 

"God  bless  her,"  rejoined  Sister  Louise  fer- 


THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT  485 

vently;  "her  face  is  ever  welcome  in  the  in 
firmary  ;  there  is  no  better  nurse,  for  she  never 
grows  weary.  No  word  of  complaint  ever  es 
capes  her  lips.  She  says  her  rosary  repeat 
edly,  even  while  in  attendance  on  the  sick,  and 
clings  to  the  cross  with  the  fervor  of  an  Anas- 
tasia.  She  is  courteous  and  kind  to  the  rich 
boarders,  affectionate  and  solicitous  respect 
ing  the  poor  ones.  They  all  look  up  to  her  as 
their  protectress." 

"But,  my  dear,  she  has  taken  you  as  her 
model." 

"Indeed,  she  is  ever  so  much  better  than  I 
am.  I  am  proud  of  my  pupil,  but  she  has  out 
stripped  her  instructress." 

"Your  religion,  Sister  Louise,  is  a  good  one 
because  it  is  healthy.  A  well-nourished  body 
produces  a  strong  mind.  Your  step  is  elastic, 
your  eyes  beam  with  a  bright  but  mild  radi 
ance  ;  you  do  not  shut  out  happy  thoughts  or 
God's  blessed  sunshine.  You  will  never  see  any 
visions  or  be  disturbed  by  harps,  angels  and 
stairways  suspended  in  the  heaven." 

"No,  I  am  not  good  enough  to  attain  to  such 
a  height." 

"Nor.  I,  either,  Sister  Louise.  But  you  do 
everything  to  promote  the  happiness  of  oth 
ers.  You  walk  the  earth,  hear  and  feel  that 
you  are  surrounded  by  laboring,  throbbing, 
suffering  humanity,  hear  their  cry  of  hunger 
and  distress  and  alleviate  their  woes." 

"Dear  Sister  Catharine  is  all  wrapped  up  in 
her  religion.  Her  conversation  and  holiness 
have  spread  to  the  Mother  house  in  Kentucky. 


486  THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT 

She  is  even  the  theme  of  conversation  among , 
the  pupils.     Do  not  we  sisters  daily  hold  her 
up  as  an  example  of  religious  excellence !     It 
is  wonderful  in  one  so  young." 

"Do  you  know,"  continued  Sister  Benedicta, 
"Sister  Bridget  thinks  she  is  so  pious  that  she 
may  be  taken  to  heaven  in  a  miraculous  man 
ner  like  Elijah." 

"Ah !  we  shall  all  be  compelled  to  go 
through  the  bitter  agony,  and  I  feel  hopeful 
to  think  that  God  will  be  there  with  His  hand 
to  support  me  over  the  river,  preceding  my  en 
trance  into  the  life  eternal." 

"Yet,  if  this  piety  of  Sister  Catharine  should 
go  on  increasing  as  she  advances  towards  ma 
turity,  what  a  dazzling  height  she  may  reach ! 
Innumerable  are  the  religious  benefits  to  be 
derived  from  such  a  holy  source;  she  may  be 
canonized.  What  a  prospect!" 

"True.  See  her  now,  walking  through  the 
arbor  with  folded  arms  and  downcast  eyes, 
meditating  upon  spiritual  matters.  She  is  un 
conscious  of  comment  and  apparently  un 
aware  of  the  murmurs  of  approbation  which 
sound  around  her." 

"She  will  be  one  of  the  elect." 

The  great  enthusiasm  and  fanaticism  of  the 
Jewish  convert  were  the  talk  of  the  town. 
Mrs.  Gaffry,  nee  Mary  Moss,  heard,  saw  and 
wondered.  Having  some  time  previously  dis 
covered  that  proselytism  was  not  her  fate,  she 
construed  the  word  of  Genesis  to  her  own  sat 
isfaction,  viz. :  that  it  was  no  more  good  for  a 
woman  to  be  alone  than  for  man,  and  had 


THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT  487 

taken  a  husband  for  better  or  for  worse.  It 
appeared  to  be  the  latter.  Her  joys  had  not 
increased  since  her  marriage,  but  her  troubles 
had  trebled.  Her  husband  generally  invested 
the  wages  of  his  labor  in  liquor,  and  left  her 
and  her  infant  to  struggle  for  themselves.  At 
the  first  scene  of  her  husband's  violence,  Mrs. 
Gaffry  had  fled  to  her  mother's,  but  shortly 
afterwards  Mrs.  Moss  became  ill  and  indigent, 
and  the  poor  woman,  in  the  dead  of  winter, 
had  frequently  taken  her  infant  in  her  arms 
and  gone  to  the  convent.  There  she  would 
pour  out  the  vials  of  wrath  on  matrimony  and 
wish  she  had  followed  the  footsteps  of  Sister 
Catharine.  The  young  nun  would  tell  her, 
"The  greater  the  cross  the  greater  the  glory. 
Hug  it  to  your  bosom." 

"Oh,  Sister  Catharine,"  Mrs.  Gaffry  would 
reply,  "you  cannot  imagine  my  sufferings.  My 
husband  fails  to  provide  for  me  and  our  child ; 
crazed  by  drink,  he  has  struck  me.  Though 
everything  is  hot  with  his  sulphurous  breath, 
I  am  freezing.  There  is  no  coal  in  the  bin,  no 
meat  in  the  larder.  Poor,  unhappy  me,"  and 
the  once  strong  woman  would  weep. 

"O,  thou  of  little  faith,"  Sister  Catharine 
would  answer.  "Christ  will  provide  as  he  did 
for  his  disciples  and  the  multitude,  out  of  the 
seven  loaves  and  the  few  little  fishes." 

The  more  practical  Sister  Louise  would 
come  and  say:  "Here,  I  have  brought  you  a 
glass  of  generous  wine,  which  is  kept  only  for 
the  sick,  but  you  are  sick  and  need  it.  And 


THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT 

now  you  must  come  with  me  and  have  a  good, 
hearty  meal." 

"Sister  Louise,  my  condition  is  terrible," 
Mrs.  Gaffry  would  rejoin,  "though  when  I 
leave  here  I  always  feel  stronger.  I  do  not 
know  whether  to  attribute  it  to  Sister  Catha 
rine's  religious  sayings  or  to  the  substantial 
food  you  place  before  me." 

"To  both,  my  dear,"  Sister  Louise  would 
murmur. 

"And  I  try  to  do  better,"  Mrs.  Gaffry 
would  respond,  "when  I  leave  hereby  imitat 
ing  you  good  women.  I  repress  my  complain 
ings  at  the  brutal  words  of  my  husband,  but 
when  he  comes  staggering  in  with  oaths  in  his 
mouth,  strikes  me  and  the  wailing  infant,  too, 
then  I  fly  with  terror  in  my  eyes  and  horror  in 
my  soul.  When  I  return  the  next  day,  the  lit 
tle  home  presents  a  demoralized  appearance. 
Every  room  is  strewn  with  the  debris  of  the 
last  night's  tempest,  raised  within  the  heart  of 
man  by  the  demon  drink.  When  he  gets  so 
ber  I  entreat  him,  in  the  name  of  Christ,  to 
commence  life  anew,  and  give  up  that  which 
makes  him  act  as  if  he  were  possessed  by 
devils,  renders  life  hideous  and  drags  us  down, 
down  into  the  very  depths  of  poverty  and 
wretchedness  " 

On  a  cold,  windy  evening  in  the  latter  part 
of  March,  Mrs.  Gaffry  again  sought  an  asylum 
at  the  convent. 

"Poor  Mrs.  Gaffry,  are  you  in  trouble 
again?"  and  Sister  Louise  put  her  arms  around 


THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT  489 

the  neck  of  the  poor  woman  and  wept  tears  of 
sympathy. 

"And  to  think,"  answered  she,  "I  am  bound 
to  this  wretch  for  life.  Though  I  may  leave 
him,  I  cannot  be  divorced,  as  our  blessed 
Church  annuls  no  marriage  ties." 

It  was  the  day  before  Sister  Catharine  was 
to  take  perpetual  vows,  and  she  had  applied 
herself  with  more  fervor,  if  that  were  possible, 
to  her  devotions.  "Why  do  you  not  remain 
where  you  belong?"  cried  she.  "You  have  de 
serted  your  post.  There  is  no  redemption 
without  suffering." 

"But  I  tell  you,"  and  Mrs.  Gaffry's  voice 
grew  extremely  piteous,  "it  grows  worse  and 
worse.  If  I  had  remained  at  home  to-night 
my  husband  would  have  maimed  me  and  my 
babe,"  and  she  drew  the  sleeping  child  closer 
to  her  heart.  "Yes,  maimed  me,"  and  her 
voice  rose  to  a  high  pitch  of  excitement,  "pre 
cisely  as  he  breaks  up  the  furniture.  I  cannot 
submit  to  such  indignities  any  longer,  and 
what  is  more,  I  will  not."  Mrs.  Gaffry  raised 
her  head  in  a  manner  wrhich  implied  determi 
nation. 

"What,"  replied  Sister  Catharine  in  a  shrill 
voice,  her  eyes  blazing  with  a  baleful  light, 
"You  defy  Mother  Church?  Would  you  see  a 
soul  going  to  everlasting  punishment  without 
stretching  your  arms  to  save?" 

"I  do  try  to  save  him.  At  my  supplications 
he  goes  to  confession,  and  what  more  can  be 
done  to  save  his  besotted  soul?  And  it  will 


I 
490  THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT 

save  him,"  rejoined  Mrs.  GafTry,  with  implicit 
faith. 

"No,  no,"  answered  Sister  Louise  gently, 
"that  will  not  do.  If  he  commits  faults,  con 
fession  without  repentance  availeth  naught." 

"I  say,"  retorted  Sister  Catharine,  "she  must 
suffer  not  alone  for  herself,  but  for  his  soul's 
salvation.  Christ  wants  it.  We  are  saved 
through  a  vicarious  atonement,  so  can  and  will 
he  be." 

"Yes,  saved  through  the  death  of  Christ  if 
we  ourselves  are  penitent  and  resolved  to  sin 
no  more;  otherwise  not.  It  is  right  for  a 
woman  to  be  meek  and  obedient  to  her  hus 
band,  but  it  is  not  necessary  that  she  should 
allow  herself  to  be  the  target  of  a  brutal  one." 
Sister  Louise's  voice  had  more  than  usual 
warmth  in  it,  her  womanly  instincts  being 
aroused. 

"I  tell  you  again,  as  he  cannot  save  himself, 
the  more  trouble  she  experiences  the  better  for 
him.  Aye,  Mrs.  Gaffry,  you  should  covet  con 
tumely,  humiliation,  stripes,  in  fact,  all  that 
your  husband  in  ignorance  and  cruelty  can  in 
flict.  The  world,  generations  of  untold  mil 
lions,  have  been  and  will  be  saved  through  the 
barbarous  crucifixion  of  the  Divine  Son.  Are 
you  not  happy  to  obey  him  and  follow  his 
precious  example?  I  tell  you  we  blessed 
Christians  have  much  for  which  to  thank  the 
Pharisees.  Our  Lord's  goodness  and  wisdom 
revealed  the  wickedness  of  their  hypocritical 
hearts  and  drove  them  to  crucify  Him  through 
whose  blood — though  born  in  sin — we  are 


THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT  491 

saved.  'Oh,  thou  of  little  faith,'  go  home, 
woman,  suffer  agony,  flagellation  and  martyr 
dom  to  be  worthy  to  sit  afterwards  by  Him, 
who  did  likewise  for  thee.  Go !"  Sister  Cath 
arine  lifted  her  attenuated  hand  imperiously, 
and  authoritatively  pointed  to  the  door.  Her 
words  were  uttered  in  a  quick,  threatening 
manner,  her  eyes  became  fixed  and  her  pale 
face  attained  the  hue  of  death. 

Poor  Mrs.  Gaffry,  with  her  child  clasped  to 
her  bosom,  cowered  in  her  chair  during  this 
severe  denunciation  and  absolute  command. 

Sister  Louise  looked  shocked,  turned  pale 
and  regarded  Sister  Catharine  with  a  mourn 
ful  air. 

The  wind  rolled  down  the  chimney  like  a 
deep-drawn  death  sigh,  dying  mournfully 
away  as  if  it  were  singing  a  threnody  to  the 
happy,  but  wrecked  past. 

Sister  Catharine  was  the  woman  who  a  few 
years  ago  was  a  weak,  timid  girl,  scarcely  dar 
ing  to  assert  that  her  soul  was  her  own.  She 
went  dreamily  along,  sipping  the  sweets  pre 
sented  to  her,  but  having  neither  the  physical 
nor  the  moral  force  to  throw  out  her  hand  and 
boldly  say,  "Let  me  have  my  preference." 

Sister  Louise  was  the  first  to  break  the  pain 
ful  silence.  "Dear  Sister,  be  not  so  harsh  with 
our  poor  friend.  She  has  great  trials,  though 
she  should  do  her  best  to  be  resigned,  and  pray 
God  to  give  her  husband  strength  to  overcome 
his  evil  propensities." 

Sister  Catharine  burst  into  tears.  It  was  the 
reaction  of  extreme  harshness  to  extreme  ten- 


492  THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT 

derness.  She  threw  herself  at  the  feet  of  Mrs. 
Gaffry  and  implored  her  pardon. 

"Oh,  not  at  my  feet,"  exclaimed  Mrs.  Gaffry, 
endeavoring  to  raise  her  with  one  hand ;  for 
during  the  scene  it  had  been  forgotten  to  re 
lieve  her  of  the  child,  "you  are  a  young  saint. 
Your  words  are  not  born  of  harshness ;  they 
are  inspired  and  are  too  exalted  for  a  poor 
creature  like  me  to  appreciate  at  once.  No 
deception,  no  hypocrisy,  no  gloss  of  any  kind 
covers  them,  and  they  seem  to  be  what  might 
come  from  the  lips  of  Christ  himself.  You  are 
too  good  for  this  world;  you  are  an  angel." 

From  this  outburst  of  lavish  admiration 
might  have  been  anticipated  in  return  the 
warmest  words  of  sympathy,  the  sweetest 
words  of  consolation.  Mrs.  Gaffry  almost 
worshipped  devotees ;  her  eyes  moistened  and 
her  heart  was  full  of  gratitude  to  such  a  heav 
enly  preceptress. 

Contrary  to  all  expectations,  Sister  Cath 
arine  threw  Mrs.  Gaffry 's  hand  away  coldly, 
remarking:  "I  am  weary.  I  shall  go  to  bed. 
Good-night,  sisters  in  Christ."  By  one  com 
mon  impulse  each  made  the  sign  of  the  cross. 
"May  the  Lord  of  Lords  and  the  King  of 
Kings  have  you  in  His  holy  keeping."  Her 
eyes  swam  again  in  tears  and  she  abruptly  left 
the  room. 

Sister  Louise  remained  for  a  moment  ab 
sorbed  in  thought  and  then  in  a  sad  voice  said : 
"I  fear  that  Sister  Catharine  has  been  too 
much  agitated  by  the  cares  of  the  day.  It  has 
been  a  very  long  one  for  her;  having  risen  un- 


THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT  493 

usually  early,  and  since  been  close  at  her  re 
ligious  exercises ;  this  may  account  for  her  er 
ratic  emotions." 

"She  is  a  saint,  and  will  soon  be  an  angel  in 
heaven  and  can  intercede  for  us  at  the  throne 
of  mercy,"  added  Mrs.  Gaitry. 

"Come,"  replied  Sister  Louise,  anxious  to 
change  the  subject,  "let  me  make  some  pro 
vision  for  you  for  the  night.  To-morrow  I 
shall,  please  God,  talk  to  Father  Knowen,  have 
him  speak  to  your  husband  and  command  him 
to  reform  his  wicked  ways.  The  temperance 
movement  is  being  agitated  here,  and  I  hear 
the  good  father  will  be  enlisted  in  the  crusade ; 
probably  your  husband  will  come  under  its 
rules.  Have  hope  and  faith,  and  all  may  yet 
be  well.  God  will  not  forget  you." 

Mrs.  Gaffry,  with  a  sigh,  a  tear,  and  her  in 
fant  in  her  arms,  followed  her  kind  conductor 
to  a  place  of  repose.  If  the  poor  woman's 
arms  were  fatigued  it  was  nothing  in  compari 
son  to  the  weariness  of  her  heart.  "Ah !" 
mentally  exclaimed  she,  "this  evening's  dis 
course  has  manifested  to  me  that  I  should  not 
have  divulged  my  poignant  distress  at  my  hus 
band's  wickedness  and  cruelty.  Is  not  the  con 
solation  of  the  confessional  sufficient,  and 
could  I  not  have  borne  the  stripes  at  home?  I 
have  'unveiled  the  sanctuary,'  and  though  I 
have  revealed  its  holy  mysteries  to  the  sisters 
of  my  holy  religion,  women  of  real  purity  and 
refinement,  yet  the  result  is  that  one  plainly 
and  deservedly  reproached  me  for  not  silently 
submitting  to  the  will  of  God,  while  I  imagine 


494  THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT 

the  other  one  shuddered    at    my    coarse    im 
pulses." 

On  her  knees  Mrs.  Gaffry  implored  Divine 
guidance  and  strength.  As  she  lay  in  bed  she 
bedewed  the  pillow  with  tears ;  they  were  the 
tears  produced  by  the  firm  resolution  never  to 
diverge  from  the  one  path,  though  no  friendly 
ray  of  light  should  ever  gleam  on  the  way. 
The  rising  sun  found  her  on  her  way  home, 
there  to  remain  with  the  father  of  her  child 
until  death  should  part  them. 


THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT  495 


CHAPTER  XLIV. 

Sister  Louise,  after  tending  to  the  wants  of 
Mrs.  Gaffry,  went  into  the  boarders'  infirmary. 
"Has  Sister  Catharine  been  in  here?"  inquired 
she  of  the  inmates. 

"Yes,"  was  the  response  of  all. 

"She  was  in  just  a  few  moments  before  you 
came,"  added  a  pretty  girl,  with  dark  eyes  and 
fair  complexion,  "and  said  a  short  prayer  at  my 
bedside.  She  looked  tired  but  so  sweetly  beauti 
ful.  No  angel  could  have  a  whiter  face.  I  am 
sure  the  wings  are  only  lacking  to  make  her  one." 

"She  is  not  feeling  well.  I  think  you  four  girls 
have  been  here  long  enough,"  said  Sister  Louise 
half  jestingly.  "I  know  you  are  all  able  to  go 
downstairs  except  Anna  May.  How  do  you  feel 
about  studying?" 

"I  feel  that  I  am  not  strong  and  can  wait," 
returned  Anna  May. 

"Take  care  that  you  are  not  too  long  about  it. 
Good-night,  dear  children."  Sister  Louise,  as 
she  left  the  room,  thanked  God  that  Sister  Catha 
rine  did  not  forget  her  simplest  duties. 

Sister  Catharine  had  always  been  allowed  to 
occupy  a  small  room  alone,  in  which  she  could 
study  and  prepare  herself  for  the  ceremonies 
without  interfering  with  others.  The  walls  of 
this  room  were  literally  covered  with  pictures  of 


496  THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT 

saints  and  a  large,  silver  cross  hung  at  the  head 
of  her  bed,  the  cross  being  the  gift  of  a  generous 
and  wealthy  Catholic  lady  whose  heart  was 
touched  by  her  sincere  piety.  Though  she  prayed 
much  in  her  own  room,  yet  many  a  morning  at 
three  and  four  o'clock  she  was  to  be  seen  pros 
trated  on  the  cold  chapel  floor. 

Sister  Louise  passed  this  room.  No  light,  no 
sound  denoted  any  one  stirring  or  awake  within. 
She  tapped  lightly  on  the  door  and  called,  "Grace, 
Catharine !"  No  answer  came.  "Thank  God  she 
sleeps.  That  is  just  what  she  needs.  This  con 
tinual  strain  on  her  mind  and  body  is  too  much. 
I  am  afraid  of  this  tension.  When  she  is  once 
ours  forever  she  will  relax  this  effort  after  di 
vine  excellence.  It  will  be  better ;  yes,  much  bet 
ter.  She  sleeps.  May  the  holy  Virgin  Mary, 
Mother  of  God,  protect  her,"  and  the  nun  de 
voutly  crossed  herself.  After  this  soliloquy  she 
passed  on  with  a  contented  look. 

But  the  occupant  of  the  room  was  not  asleep, 
That  was  precisely  what  her  tortured  mind  could 
not  obtain.  She  had  not  slept  much  the  previous 
night;  the  greater  part  of  it  she  had  spent  on 
her  knees  in  the  chapel,  and  in  going  over  with 
rapturous  delight  page  after  page  of  Biblical  and 
ecclesiastical  reading.  She  had  worked  herself 
to  the  highest  pitch  of  religious  ecstacy  and  had 
accomplished  tasks  mechanically. 

"What  is  the  matter  with  me?"  Sister  Catha 
rine  had  said  that  day.  "At  times  I  am  floating, 
ascending  to  the  Prince  of  Peace.  It  is  only 
when  I  stumble  as  my  foot  strikes  against  some 
thing  that  the  dull  reality  comes  back  to  me.  I 


THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT  497 

am,  after  all,  on  the  pine  floor  of  the  convent.  I 
must  not  think  that  way."  But  in  a  moment  after 
imagination,  with  her  wild  chariot,  again  trans 
ported  her  to  the  realms  above. 

Prior  to  Mrs.  Gaffry's  coming  Sister  Catha 
rine  had  experienced  a  whirling  sensation  of  the 
head,  and  though  weak,  she  felt  supernaturally 
strong.  She  was  so  angry  at  the  woman  for  not 
remaining  with  her  husband  and  suffering  pa 
tiently  as  Christ  had  done,  that  she  had  barely 
power  to  restrain  herself  from  striking  her.  When 
Sister  Louise  looked  at  her  so  compassionately 
and  disapproved  of  her  severe  ideas  of  goodness, 
a  revolution  came  over  her.  This  was  so  violent 
that  she  hastened  to  the  infirmary,  not  for  the 
children,  but  that  God  would  take  the  evil  from 
her  heart. 

"I  shall  feel  better  when  I  am  in  my  room," 
said  Sister  Catharine  as  she  left  the  children.  And 
she  locked  the  door  of  her  room,  lighted  the  lamp 
and  then  said :  "Nonsense,  I  shall  extinguish  it 
and  be  in  darkness  with  my  own  miserable 
thoughts.  I  shall  not  go  to  bed,"  and  she  threw 
herself  into  a  chair. 

The  reaction  had  come.  As  her  spirits  had 
risen  to  exaltation,  she  now  felt  overwhelmingly 
sad  and  depressed.  She  heard  the  gentle  tap  at 
the  door,  the  mild  voice  she  loved  so  well,  the 
call,  "Grace."  Heavens !  that  name  sent  her 
thoughts  years  backward.  She  raised  her  head 
with  a  brightened  eye.  One  more  call  like  that 
and  she  would  have  sprung  forward,  and  proba 
bly  relieved  her  overwrought  brain  by  weeping 
and  sobbing  on  the  good  sister's  breast.  The  call 


498  THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT 

came  again,  but  not  as  before;  it  was  "Catha 
rine."  Sister  Catharine's  head  fell,  her  eyes 
closed  and  no  sound  indicated  to  the  one  without 
that  she  was  awake. 

Sister  Louise  passed  on,  and  Sister  Catharine, 
with  her  head  bent  down  to  her  knees,  sank  into 
the  deepest  apathy.  She  sat  there  for  hours  in  a 
dull  stupor.  She  was  not  asleep,  but  her  thoughts 
hovered  on  the  confines  of  the  real  and  the  ideal 
world,  till  a  vision  passed  through  her  heated 
brain. 

The  air  appeared  filled  with  a  mist,  the  mist 
deepened  in  density  and  assumed  the  shape  of 
clouds;  the  clouds  drifted  around.  Above  the 
clouds  angels  looked  down;  above  them  the 
clouds  accumulated  into  heavy  compact  masses ; 
there  no  human  eye  could  penetrate.  Beyond 
was  the  Infinite.  Below  the  angels  another  figure 
exhibited  itself ;  it  was  a  woman  with  soft,  cling 
ing  drapery,  a  harp  in  her  hand  and  with  sad, 
downcast  eyes.  Beneath  the  region  of  the  clouds 
was  an  illumined  altar,  priests  chanting  in  sacred 
vestments,  acolytes  standing  on  every  side.  Then 
a  number  of  nuns  filed  in,  one  by  one,  followed 
by  a  novice.  The  novice  bore  the  form  of  Grace, 
who  was  no  longer  to  be  a  neophyte,  but  to  be 
received  as  one  forever,  devoted  to  a  life  of  re 
ligion  and  seclusion.  An  organ  floated  in  the 
air  and  struck  up  a  soul-inspiring  anthem;  the 
song  burst  forth  with  a  pealing  sound,  and 
through  all  was  to  be  heard  the  tolling  of  a  bell. 
The  woman  in  the  clouds  uttered  a  piercing  cry, 
"Grace,  come  back  to  me!"  the  clouds  closed 
around  her,  angels  and  all  dissolved  in  the  air. 


THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT  499 

The  scene  vanished  with  wonderful  celerity,  but 
Sister  Catharine,  fully  aroused  by  that  shriek, 
with  a  low  responding  echo,  "Mother,  I  come," 
bounded  from  her  room  down  the  long,  dark 
corridor  into  the  garden,  to  the  gate,  which  she 
automatically  opened,  and  rushed  through  the 
deserted  streets  like  a  hunted  deer  to  her  uncle's 
door,  where  she  fell  unconscious.  The  first  gray 
streak  of  dawn  threw  its  soft  shades  over  her  and 
the  town  wrapped  in  slumber. 

Mrs.  Rheinberg,  who  had  been  attending  her 
daughter,  Rachel,  for  a  slight  indisposition,  heard 
a  fall,  and  was  quickly  at  the  front  door,  where 
the  expanding  light  of  day  revealed  the  ghastly, 
insensible  face  of  a  woman,  which  upon  closer 
inspection  proved  to  be  Grace.  Her  shrieks  soon 
brought  her  husband  to  her  side,  and  as  they 
looked  at  each  other's  blanched  faces,  Mr.  Rhein 
berg,  who  was  the  first  to  recover  his  presence 
of  mind,  exclaimed,  "Let  us  take  her  in." 

"Her  hands  are  stiff  with  cold.  She  must  have 
run  all  the  way  from  the  convent  without  any 
wrap  on." 

"Yes,  and  most  likely  with  a  blind  man's  pre 
cision.  I  suppose  she  knew  no  more  what  she 
was  about  this  morning  than  on  that  ever-to-be- 
remembered  day  when  she  went  to  the  convent. 

The  uncle  lifted  her  tenderly,  and  carefully 
carried  her  into  the  room  which  had  so  long  been 
vacant,  awaiting  her.  And  he  reverently  drew 
aside  the  black  veil. 

"I  will  take  it  off  altogether,"  said  Mrs.  Rhein 
berg,  "and  the  white  cap,  too." 


5oo  THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT 

Massed  around  the  head  of  the  girl  were  little 
golden  curls  which  defied  caps  and  all  kinds  of 
repressions,  so  hard  is  it  to  suppress  the  nature 
of  anything. 

Mrs.  Rheinberg  hastily  slipped  on  her  dress 
and  put  her  ear  to  the  heart  of  her  niece.  A 
feeble  fluttering  told  her  that  life  was  not  ex 
tinct.  She  turned  her  head  and  said  as  she 
thought  to  her  husband:  "Blessed  be  the  God  of 
Israel,  she  lives." 

"Mr.  Rheinberg,"  said  Susan,  making  her  ap 
pearance  half  undressed,  "woke  me  up  and  told 
me  he  was  going  for  a  doctor." 

"Come  in,  don't  stand  there  shivering.  I  am 
doing  that  with  all  my  might.  Come,  let  us  rub 
her." 

"Who  is  it,  Mrs.  Rheinberg?" 

"Why,  mercy  me,  where  are  your  eyes  ?  Grace, 
to  be  sure." 

"So  it  is.  Heaven  save  us,"  replied  the  girl, 
dropping  on  her  knees. 

Mr.  Rheinberg  went  after  Dr.  Harriot,  who 
was  inebriated  the  day  before,  going  through  the 
town  boasting  that  his  equal  had  not  existed  since 
the  days  of  Galen  and  Hippocrates. 

"I  hope  the  good  doctor  has  left  off  yester 
day's  debauch.  Where  life  and  death  are  con 
cerned  I  have  no  confidence  in  anyone  but  him." 
The  next  question,  "How  can  I  awake  him  so 
early  in  the  morning,"  was  Mr.  Rheinberg's 
thought. 

The  approach  to  the  house  was  guarded  by  a 
sentinel  almost  as  fierce,  though  one-headed,  as 
the  Stygian  Cerberus,  but  the  doctor's  man-of-all- 


THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT  501 

work,  coming  at  that  moment  to  muzzle  the  ani 
mal,  saved  Mr.  Rheinberg  the  trouble  of  elud 
ing  it. 

''Ah,  man,  I  was  just  wondering  how  I  could 
pass  by  that  big  dog." 

"Yes,  sir.  Troubles  generally  lessen  when  you 
come  near  them.  That  shows  one  ought  to  take 
life  easy." 

"Is  the  doctor  in?" 

"Yes,  indeed,"  answered  the  loquacious  Thom 
as,  "not  having  gone  out.  If  you  are  in  great 
need  of  him  you  can  thank  his  liking  for  good 
old  Bourbon  whiskey.  He  had  two  calls  last 
night — one  at  ten,  another  at  twelve  o'clock — but 
he  wouldn't  go,  so  I  was  obliged  to  say  he  was 
out.  You  see,  sir,  many  greater  men  than  I  must 
say  what  is  not  so  for  a  living.  I  am  a  very 
truthful  man.  A  man  to  be  depended  upon,"  and 
he  threw  his  head  back  with  some  dignity. 

"I  have  no  doubt  of  your  honesty;  not  a  bit 
of  it.  Try  your  best,  good  man,  and  wake  the 
doctor.  Here  is  a  half-dollar  for  your  pains. 
Tell  him  I  want  to  see  him  on  a  matter  of  life 
or  death." 

"Life  or  death,  is  it?  Come  in,  sit  down  and 
make  yourself  comfortable  by  the  fire.  Nothing 
like  a  good,  roaring  fire  on  cold  days." 

"If  you  please,  Thomas " 

"Aha!  you  are  anxious,  I  see.  Is  your  wife 
sick?" 

"No,  no,  my  niece.     Please  hurry." 

"Hurry?  To  be  sure  I  will.  I  would  do  any 
thing  for  you.  I  know  you  for  years  and  will 
do  my  best  for  you.  You  are  frowning;  well,  I 


THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT 

will  go.  I  shall  have  a  nice  time,  I  dare  say."  A 
noise  was  heard  from  the  room  above.  "That 
boot  I  should  have  had  to  dodge  if  I  had  been 
up  there,  but  I  am  an  artful  dodger,  you  know," 
Thomas  said  with  a  knowing  wink,  though  not 
aware  that  he  was  plagiarizing  from  one  of  Dick 
ens'  works  of  fiction,  and  he  was  all  the  more  sat 
isfied  in  his  ignorance. 

"Yes,  I  know,  but  my  good  fellow  go  this  mo 
ment,"  said  Mr.  Rheinberg,  impatient  for  him  to 
proceed  on  the  errand.  If  time  and  tide  wait  for 
no  man,  what  shall  we  say  of  death?" 

"Yes,  yes,  indeed  I  will  go,  I  will.  You  have 
a  large  heart  and  I  respect  you,  sir,"  and  out 
went  Thomas,  to  the  great  satisfaction  of  Mr. 
Rheinberg,  who  was  becoming  alarmed  that  it 
would  take  as  long  to  get  the  man  out  as  to  bring 
the  master  down. 

Every  moment  appeared  an  eternity  to  poor 
Rheinberg.  So  deeply  absorbed  was  he  in  his 
reverie  that  he  did  not  hear  the  pompous  but 
good  and  wise  doctor  coming  in,  who  always  paid 
the  penalty  of  his  intemperance  by  fearful  head 
aches  and  was  correspondingly  cross,  until  he 
was  startled  by  a  low  voice  exclaiming:  "What 
in  the  devil  do  you  want  so  early  in  the  morning, 
taking  people  out  of  their  beds  in  such  cold 
weather?" 

"There  is  some  one  very  sick  at  the  house,  doc 
tor.  I  want  you  to  come  immediately." 

The  physician  rang  the  bell  violently,  but  with 
trembling  hands,  and  responded,  "You  do,  eh?" 
When  Thomas  appeared  he  said  to  him :  "Glasses 


THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT  503 

for  two.  What  will  you  have,  whisky  or 
brandy?" 

"My  God,  man,  I  want  no  liquor  now,  it  is  a 
matter  of  life  or  death.  Don't  delay  an  instant, 
it  would  be  cruel.  Come  right  away,"  and  he 
pulled  the  physician's  arm  in  an  excited  manner. 

"Man,  I  must  have  a  stimulant.  I  have  over- 
fatigued  my  mental  faculties — hem,  hem" — 
drank  too  much  he  should  have  said — "and  I 
must  have  some  liquor  to  restore  the  mind,  whose 
energy  has  been  reduced  and  the  equilibrium  dis 
turbed  by  yesterday's  work."  Having  thus  dem 
onstrated  that  'action  and  reaction  are  the  great 
laws  of  the  animal  economy,'  he  took  from  the 
hand  of  Thomas,  who  had  returned  with  a  de 
canter,  a  small  glass  of  raw  whisky  and  offered 
another  to  Rheinberg,  which  the  latter  courte 
ously  declined. 

"I  will  get  your  great  coat,"  said  Thomas,  anx 
ious  to  earn  his  fifty  cents,  and  he  was  rewarded 
with  a  look  of  gratitude  from  Mr.  Rheinberg. 

The  physician,  with  the  assistance  of  the  at 
tendant,  was  soon  enveloped  in  his  overcoat  and 
so  seemed  not  very  unlike  a  shaggy  bear,  but  he 
often  held  in  his  hand  the  key  of  life. 

"The  buggy,"  cried  Thomas  in  a  frightened 
way. 

"No  time  now,  no  time.  No  chance  for  display 
of  your  protean  character,"  replied  the  sympa 
thetic  physician.  "Come,  Rheinberg." 

"I  am  glad  you  were  in,  doctor.  You  are  the 
only  physician  in  town  that  I  have  any  confidence 
in." 

"It  is  good  you  did  not  go  for  one  of  those 


'504  THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT 

homoeopathists,  with  their  candy  globules.  There 
is  Dr.  Green,  because  he  has  been  successful  in 
three  or  four  cases,  thinks  he  will  soon  be  consid 
ered  'the  best  in  town.'  I  denounce  in  measured 
terms  any  practice  based  on  their  absurd  'Similia 
similibus  curantur.' " 

"It  is  Sister  Catharine!"  said  Dr.  Harriot  as 
he  was  shown  up  to  the  bedside  and  looked  into 
the  now  opened  eyes  of  the  sick  girl. 

"Yes,  my  poor  niece." 

"She  does  not  know  me.  Her  pulse,"  said  the 
physician,  feeling  it,  "beats  with  frightful  rapid 
ity.  Everything  denotes  that  she  has  again  sub 
jected  herself  to  a  high  mental  pressure."  After 
a  careful  diagnosis  he  prescribed  a  composing 
draught,  and  then,  with  all  the  bluntness  of  his 
nature,  asked :  "How  came  she  here  ?" 

Mrs.  Rheinberg  gave  a  sesquipedalian  account 
of  how  she  discovered  her  in  the  doorway. 

"It  is  very  astonishing  to  me.  I  have  fre 
quently  prescribed  for  her  since  she  took  the 
veil,  and  she  always  appeared  supremely  happy." 

"Indeed,"  added  Mrs.  Rheinberg,  with  some 
heat,  "for  what  can  she  have  come  back,  but  to 
return  to  the  faith  of  her  fathers?" 

"Never  mind,  Clara,  what  you  think  led  her 
to  take  this  step.  Doctor,  all  I  beg  of  you  is 
that  if  the  nuns  should  wish  her  to  be  removed  to 
the  convent,  you  will  not  consent  until  she  can 
decide  for  herself." 

"She  shall  not  go  until  she  can,"  quickly  re 
sponded  he.  "Though  I  know  there  is  salvation 
in  my  church,  the  blessed  Church  of  Rome,  I 


THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT  505 

would  not  have  her  one  of  us  without  her  own 
free  will.  I  would  make  and  retain  proselytes  by 
persuasion,  by  conviction,  not  by  compulsion.  I 
wish  to  be  a  Catholic  in  the  literal  sense  of  the 
word,  too." 

"Ah,  Clara,"  said  Mr.  Rheinberg  after  the  doc 
tor  had  gone,  "I  am  much  to  blame  for  this  poor 
girl's  trouble.  I  did  not  do  my  duty." 

"I  am  sure  you  were  always  kind  and  gentle 
to  her." 

"Yes,  but  I  should  have  compelled  you  and 
Letitia  to  have  acted  differently  towards  her." 

"To  talk  against  poor  Letitia  now,  when  she 
will  soon  be  here  in  her  misery.  Oh,  me !"  added 
Mrs.  Rheinberg,  bursting  into  a  flood  of  tears. 

"Well,  Clara,  for  heaven's  sake  don't  commence 
crying  here.  Things  are  bad  enough  as  they  are, 
but  tears  won't  make  them  any  better.  Anyway, 
I  wonder  what  brought  Grace  back.  Did  she  lose 
courage  at  the  last  moment,  learn  to  think  differ 
ently,  or  has  she  long  been  going  crazy?" 

"I  think  she  wants  to  be  one  of  us  again." 

"I  hope  so.  I  shouldn't  wonder  but  what  one 
of  the  sisters  will  soon  be  after  her." 

"A  nun,"  said  Susan,  entering  without  rap 
ping,  "wishes  to  see  you,  Mr.  Rheinberg.  She 
gave  her  name  as  Sister  Louise." 

"Tell  her  I  will  see  her." 

"And  so  will  I,"  said  Mrs.  Rheinberg. 

"Had  you  not  better  stay  with  Grace?" 

"No,  Susan,  stay  here.  Come,  Joseph,  we  will 
go  together,"  and  she  took  her  husband  by  the 
arm  and  they  went  downstairs  to  see  the  visitor. 


506  THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT 

Sister  Louise,  after  performing  her  matutinal 
devotions,  which  she  had  done  earlier  than  usual 
that  morning,  bethought  herself  of  Sister  Catha 
rine.  Sister  Catharine's  door  was  only  partially 
closed,  and  the  sister  in  passing  observing  this, 
thought  she  had  chosen  to  say  her  prayers  in  the 
chapel,  where  so  many  of  the  nuns  were  assem 
bled.  Not  finding  her  there  she  imagined  she 
was  in  the  vestry.  Too  religious  to  allow  earthly 
thoughts  to  interfere  with  her  prayers,  and  by 
that  vow  of  passive  obedience  which  she  had 
taken  to  consecrate  herself  to  Christ  and  by  the 
love  she  bore  Him,  she  said  all  her  prayers  with 
out  exhibiting  the  least  emotion.  But  no  sooner 
had  she  risen  from  her  knees  and  made  the  last 

fenuflection,  than  her  thoughts  and  feet  flew  to 
ister  Catharine's  room.  The  bed  was  undis 
turbed,  everything  was  in  order.  Nothing  told 
of  that  silent  but  fearful  struggle  of  a  woman 
with  her  own  troubled  brain. 

Sister  Louise  went  rapidly  in  the  direction  of 
the  boarders'  infirmary,  when  she  almost  col 
lided  with  the  portress,  Sister  Mary. 

"What  is  the  matter?" 

"I  am  looking  for  Mother  Therese,"  responded 
Sister  Mary  with  a  pale  face  and  quaking  voice. 
"The  gate  was  not  only  unlocked  this  morning, 
but  standing  wide  open.  There  must  have  been 
robbers  in  the  place." 

"Let  me  go  and  ask  Mr.  Malone,"  who  was  the 
gardener  and  lived  at  the  farthest  end  of  the 
convent  grounds. 

"I  have  already  asked  him  and  he  declared  he 
saw  'no  print  o'  thieves  nowhere/  but  I  am  sure 


THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT  '507 

some  one  must  have  come  in.  I  locked  it  myself. 
It  was  open  and  that  is  evidence  enough,  I  am 
sure." 

It  never  once  occurred  to  Sister  Mary  that 
some  one  might  have  gone  out. 

Sister  Louise  turned  pale  at  the  mere  idea  of 
the  solution  of  the  enigma,  but  asked,  with  her 
usual  calm  voice,  "Have  you  seen  Sister  Catha 
rine  this  morning?" 

"No,  I  must  seek  Sister  Therese,"  and  Sister 
Mary  hurried  on. 

Sister  Louise  went  to  the  other  building,  but 
found  not  the  beloved  one  whom  she  sought. 
"Come  with  me,"  said  Sister  Mary,  joining  her. 
"Mother  Therese  wants  you." 

Sister  Louise  entered  a  room  with  her  com 
panion,  and  there  found  the  Mother  Superior  and 
nuns  all  assembled,  discussing  the  question  about 
the  gate. 

"I  am  terribly  frightened,"  said  old  Sister 
Mary  Ann. 

"I  think  the  wind  blew  it  open,"  added  Sister 
Benedicta. 

"And  I  think  it  was  an  oversight,  that  Sister 
Mary  forgot  to  lock  it,"  said  Sister  Bridget. 

"What  have  you  to  say,  Sister  Louise  ?"  quietly 
asked  Mother  Therese. 

"Yes,  let  us  hear  what  she  has  to  say,"  the 
nuns  exclaimed. 

Sister  Louise  was  so  good,  so  sincere,  that  all 
loved  her.  She  aroused  no  jealousy.  They  at 
tributed  to  her  a  superior  merit  for  her  admirable 
qualities.  The  old  nuns  petted  her,  the  youthful 
ones  gloried  in  her  pious  example. 


508  THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT 

"First,  let  me  ask  you  a  question,"  replied  Sis 
ter  Louise.  "Have  any  of  you  seen  Sister  Catha 
rine?" 

"No,"  was  the  unanimous  response. 

"Mother  and  sisters,"  said  Sister  Louise  in  a 
gentle  tone,  rest  assured  no  one  has  come  in,  but 
some  one  has  gone  out." 

"Any  one  of  the  pupils  missing?"  inquired 
Mother  Therese. 

"No,  Mother,  but  Sister  Catharine  is." 

"Sister  Catharine!"  cried  the  nuns  in  chorus. 

"Explain,"  cried  Mother  Therese. 

"Her  room  is  vacant,  her  bed  is  undisturbed," 
resumed  Sister  Louise ;  "she  has  not  been  seen  by 
any  one  this  morning.  Yesterday  she  was  labor 
ing  under  great  religious  excitement,  and  I  think, 
in  a  moment  of  mental  aberration,  wandered  from 
the  convent." 

"Your  words  carry  instant  conviction  to  my 
mind,"  said  Mother  Therese. 

"This  day  you  all  know  Sister  Catharine  was 
to  have  taken  the  perpetual  vows.  I  fear  she  is 
seriously  ill,  and  if  her  former  weak  and  vacillat 
ing  disposition  should  return  to  her,  may  she  not 
manifest  an  inclination  to  remain  away  from  us?" 

"True,"  assented  Mother  Therese. 

"The  result  would  then  be  the  loss  of  her  own 
soul,  which  pains  me  most  deeply.  My  love  for 
her,"  said  Sister  Louise  with  tears  in  her  eyes, 
"budded  forth  when  she  was  at  school  and  of  late 
years  it  has  expanded  into  a  full  blown  flower, 
which  indicates  my  thoughts  are  still  bound  to 
earthly  things.  I  have  confessed  and  inflicted 


THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT  509 

penance  on  myself  for  it,"  and  she  lowered  her 
head  in  deep  humility. 

"Sister  Louise,  this  wandering  for  something 
to  love  is  not  so  bad  as  it  might  be.  Pray 
God  for  strength  to  overcome  temptation.  Where 
do  you  suppose  Sister  Catharine  has  gone?" 

"I  think  a  kind  of  instinct  might  have  led  her 
to  her  uncle's  house,"  rejoined  Sister  Louise. 

"So  do  I.  Now,  sisters,  do  you  not  all  think 
it  better  that  Sister  Louise  should  go  to  Mr. 
Rheinberg's  and  ascertain  if  Sister  Catharine  is 
there  ?" 

"By  all  means,"  was  the  unanimous  reply. 

"It  is  decided  then.  Sister  Louise,  go,  and  I 
earnestly  hope  your  influence  will  be  as  great  as 
on  previous  occasions.  If  she  should  not  be 
there  I  shall  apply  to  the  fathers  of  the  college 
for  advice  and  act  accordingly.  Go,  and  may 
the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  be  with  you." 

Thus  it  was  that  Sister  Louise  arrived  at  Mr. 
Rheinberg's  house  shortly  after  Dr.  Harriot's  de 
parture  and  asked  if  Sister  Catharine  were  there. 

"Grace  Feld  is  here,"  answered  Mrs.  Rhein- 
berg. 

"Yes,  madam,"  quickly  interposed  Mr.  Rhein- 
berg,  "she  is  here,"  and  he  related  how  he  and 
his  wife  had  found  her. 

"Yes,  her  senses  have  left  her.  It  is  a  judg 
ment  from  God,"  added  Mrs.  Rheinberg,  who, 
though  a  good  woman  in  her  way,  said  at  times 
very  harsh  things,  especially  of  apostates  to  their 
faith.  She  was  far  from  enjoying  that  magnan 
imity  of  soul  which  teaches  us  to  feel  that  if  oth 
ers  differ  from  us  on  so  vital  a  point  it  is  because 


5io  THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT 

their  minds  are  not  capable  of  receiving  the  same 
impressions  as  ours,  making  them  neither  better 
nor  worse,  and  that  this  spiritual  perception 
comes  from  a  higher  source.  There  is  no  posi 
tive  authority  for  any  one  to  say,  "This  view  of 
God  will  gain  him  the  kingdom  of  heaven,"  for 
no  one  has  returned  from  the  celestial  abode. 

"Talk  not  of  judgment,"  asseverated  Sister 
Louise  in  a  calm  voice.  "The  Virgin  Mary  will 
protect  her." 

"Come  upstairs  and  see  my  niece,"  said  Mr. 
Rheinberg,  at  the  same  time  casting  a  severe  look 
upon  his  wife. 

"Thank  you,"  replied  Sister  Louise  with  a 
graceful  inclination  of  her  head.  It  was  with  the 
greatest  effort  that  she  concealed  her  agitation; 
still  she  walked  up  to  Grace  with  a  placid  smile, 
took  both  of  her  hands  in  hers  with  the  soft  ca 
ress  of  a  mother,  and  said,  "Dear  Sister  Catha 
rine,  do  you  not  know  me  ?"  and  her  hands  glided 
to  the  forehead  of  Grace  with  the  same  soothing 
touches  as  of  old. 

"Yes,"  answered  she  in  a  feeble  voice.     "I  am 
very  weak ;  a  few  hours  have  committed  the  rav 
ages  of  weeks,  but  I  am  not  delirious  now.     I 
know  you." 
:     "Who  am  I?"  the  nun  inquired  breathlessly. 

"You  are  Sister  Louise.  Dear  friend,  I  am 
glad  you  have  come,  as  I  wish  to  tell  you  some 
thing." 

Mrs.  Rheinberg,  who  stood  at  the  foot  of  the 
bed,  was  opening  her  mouth  in  a  protest,  when 
her  husband  again  regarded  her  austerely,  which 
kept  her  quiet  for  the  time. 


THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT  511 

"Do  you  ?"  responded  Sister  Louise  cautiously. 
"That  is  for  what  I  have  come,  to  see  and  hear 
what  I  can  do  for  you,"  and  she  gently  rubbed 
her  hands. 

"Well,  I  shall  tell  you  something,  but  I  did  not 
know  it  before.  You  know  I  have  never  con 
cealed  anything  from  you.  I  have  laid  bare  my 
whole  life  to  you,"  and  her  eyes  grew  wild. 

"Yes,  I  know  you  have  ever  loved  me,  but  you 
are  not  at  confession  now.  Only  tell  me  what 
will  relieve  your  mind,  my  dear  Sister  Catharine," 
and  Sister  Louise  gently  touched  her  face. 

"Yes,  I  shall  tell  you,"  and  Grace  dropped  her 
eyes  and  said  in  a  low  voice,  though  not  so  low 
as  not  to  be  overheard  by  her  aunt  and  uncle. 

"I  am  going  to  my  eternal  home.  My  mother 
called  me  last  night — implored  me  to  come.  I 
shall  go  very  soon,  maybe  to-day  or  to-morrow ; 
if  not,  then  soon,  very  soon.  I  long  to  be  going," 
and  she  arose  as  if  to  get  out  of  bed. 

Mrs.  Rheinberg  commenced  sobbing,  her  hus 
band  moved  forward,  but  the  nun  laid  her  gently 
down  and  took  up  her  old  position. 

"Yes,  dear,  you  may  go  home,  but  are  you  not 
anxious  to  come  home  first  with  me?"  said  Sis 
ter  Louise  zealously.  "To-day  is  your  grand 
bridal  day.  You  will  be  pledged  to  Christ  for 
ever.  Come,  let  me  order  a  carriage  and  take 
you  to  our  home,  to  my  loving  arms,  where  I  can 
nurse  and  attend  you  as  before.  What  say  you, 
dear  Sister  Catharine?" 

"No,  no,"  replied  she  knowingly;  it  seemed  to 
her  as  if  she  had  told  a  mighty  secret,  the  simple 


512  THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT 

fancy  of  her  mind  assumed  gigantic  proportions. 
"I  told  you  my  secret,  that  shows  I  love  you." 

"What  did  you  tell  me,  dear  ?" 

"What  a  poor  memory  you  have.  I  told  you 
I  was  going  home." 

"To  the  convent?" 

"To  heaven,  I  told  you.  I  dare  not  go  back  to 
the  convent  with  you." 

"Dare  not  ?  Who  lays  embargo  on  your  going  ? 
I  am  sure  your  good  uncle  will  not." 

"No,  not  he,  but  my  mother.  She  appeared  to 
me  last  night,  and  her  look  of  entreaty  and  her 
cry  of  agony  prohibit  me  from  going  with  you. 
She  bade  me  come  back  to  her  and  I  fled  from 
the  convent.  I  shall  never  go  back,"  and  she 
wearily  closed  her  eyes. 

Here  was  something  unlocked  for.  It  was 
now  not  a  battle  against  earthly  beings,  but  one 
against  a  disembodied  spirit. 

"Is  this  beloved  one  so  near  the  goal  of  my  ter 
restrial  hope  and  ambition  to  be  snatched  from 
me  to  die  among  these  people?"  were  Sister  Lou 
ise's  thoughts  and  a  coldness  seized  her. 

"Dear  Sister  Catharine,  you  grieve  me  to  the 
heart.  Do  you  believe  in  spiritualism?  I  hope 
your  mother  is  at  rest ;  do  you  not  think  and 
hope  so?"  said  Sister  Louise,  aware  that  she  was 
dealing  with  one  whose  mind  at  that  moment  ex 
hibited  intense  excitement,  if  not  actual  derange 
ment. 

"She  cannot  rest  if  I  remain  in  the  convent." 

"Think,  I  love  you  with  all  the  tenderness  and 
devotion  of  a  mother;  would  I  advise  you  to  do 


THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT  513 

wrong?  You  know  I  do  not  care  simply  for  a 
proselyte,  but  your  soul  is  so  precious  to  me." 

"I  cannot  argue  with  you.  I  do  not  know  what 
to  say,  but  I  know  I  must  not  go  back  with  you." 

"Well,  then,  dear  Catharine,  I  must  leave  you. 
I  must  go  home  alone,  all  alone,  to  live  and  die 
alone.  I  must  no  more  be  around  to  kiss,  nurse 
and  soothe  you.  In  vain  has  been  my  labor,  as 
well  as  your  heretofore  inestimable  example, 
which  exerted  such  a  powerful  influence  on  those 
surrounding  you.  Think,  it  is  not  for  yourself 
alone.  Religion  in  the  convent  will  receive  a 
check  and  much  youthful  enthusiasm  will  be 
dampened.  I  must  never  place  confidence,  such 
loving  faith,  in  any  human  being,  as  I  have  done 
in  you,"  said  Sister  Louise  with  moistened  eyes. 

"I  could  weep  with  you,  and  do." 

"Catharine,  those  tears  are  encouraging. 
Come,"  and  Sister  Louise  extended  her  arms. 

"I  shall  never  go  back,"  resolutely  answered 
Grace.  "But  what  is  the  difference,  in  all  the 
world  there  is  none  like  you.  You  are  an  angel, 
and  next  to  God  and  my  mother,  I  love  you.  I 
could  worship  you.  Stay  with  me  until  I  go.  I 
shall  not  tax  your  patience  long." 

"No,"  replied  Sister  Louise,  whose  voice  was 
tremulous  with  emotion  and  full  of  sadness.  "I 
must  go  home." 

"Stay  here,  I  implore  you." 

"I  must  go.  I  have  other  duties  to  attend  to. 
Oh,  Catharine,"  and  her  voice  rose  to  a  cry,  "I 
entreat,  pray  you  on  my  knees,"  and  she  sank 
down  by  the  bed,  "for  the  love  I  bear  you  and 


514  THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT 

for  the  hope  of  heaven,  do  not  desert  our  holy 
religion." 

"I  love  you  and  would  be  glad  to  please  you, 
but  dare  not." 

"She  was  quite  out  of  her  mind  and  knew  no 
one  at  first,  as  I  have  already  told  you,  but  the 
medicine  the  doctor  gave  her  worked  almost  in 
stantly  and  made  her  come  to  herself.  I  am 
afraid  this  is  too  much  for  her,"  said  Mr.  Rhein- 
berg,  stepping  forward. 

"You  are  right,"  was  Sister  Louise's  reply,  as 
Grace  began  to  toss  and  rave  violently.  "I  have 
been  wrong.  With  your  permission  I  shall  call 
again.  She  may  be  in  a  different  mood  then." 

"Madam,  consider  yourself  at  liberty  to  call 
whenever  you  like  and  stay  as  long  as  you  please. 
Were  there  more  such  as  you  the  world  would  be 
better  and  religion  would  not  be  losing  as  it  is 
its  hold  on  mankind.  Your  good  deeds  have  gone 
before  you.  All  the  orphans  in  town  remember 
you  in  their  prayers.  I  respected  you  before  you 
came;  I  now  think  more  of  you  than  ever."  Mr. 
Rheinberg  opened  the  door  for  her  with  the  same 
deference  that  he  would  have  manifested  towards 
a  queen.  Sister  Louise  humbly  bent  her  head  in 
acknowledgment;  her  heart  was  too  full  for 
words. 

"Thank  God,"  said  Mrs.  Rheinberg,  "that  wo 
man  with  the  black  veil  is  gone.  I  breathe  easier. 
Indeed,  it  was  all  I  could  do  to  be  still." 

"You  are  entirely  too  quick  and  too  hard." 

"What  news?"  said  the  nuns  as  Sister  Louise 
entered  the  room  where  they  were  assembled 
when  she  returned. 


THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT  515 

"I  shall  tell  you  all.  Sister  Catharine  is  lying 
ill  at  her  uncle's,  and  I  fear  is  lost  to  us  forever. 
She  abjures  her  new  faith  and  goes  back  to  her 
old  one." 

"Recants!"  screamed  a  babel  of  voices. 

"Sisters !"  said  Mother  Therese  in  her  dignified 
and  commanding  way,  and  all  were  silent.  "Sis 
ter  Louise,  you  have  been  weeping." 

"Mother,  I  have  wept  bitter  tears  of  vexation 
and  sorrow.  So  much  to  have  gained,  almost  at 
the  goal  of  my  wishes,  now  to  lose  all — and  her 
soul." 

"Her  flight  may  be  attributed  to  mental  aberra 
tion,  as  it  is,"  quietly  said  the  Mother  Superior. 

"True,  Mother,  but  if  she  persist  in  not  com 
ing  back  her  soul  will  be  lost.  Oh,  the  pain." 

"Christ  suffered  much." 

"I  shall  take  example  of  the  good  Shepherd.  I 
shall  work  all  the  harder,  employ  my  leisure  in 
performing  good  deeds.  By  healing  the  wounds 
of  others  I  shall  mitigate  my  own.  Mother,  I 
entreat  you  to  permit  me  to  visit  her  daily." 

"Sister  Louise,  as  you  have  been  the  ground 
work  of  her  conversion,  and  she  has  been  the  pu 
pil  of  your  hand  and  mind,  you  may  go.  The 
seed  that  you  planted  may  still  bear  fruition." 

"I  hope  it  may.    Thanks,  good  Mother." 

"How  is  the  poor,  unfortunate  girl?"  said  Sis 
ter  Benedicta,  as  Sister  Louise  came  from  Mr. 
Rheinberg's  on  the  third  day  of  her  illness. 

"Wicked  creature,"  added  Sister  Bridget  as  she 
was  passing. 

"Poor  thing,"  returned  Sister  Louiset  "the  lamp 


516  THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT 

is  slowly  but  surely  burning  out.  Her  sorrows, 
conversion,  renunciation  and  mental  weakness 
are  the  theme  of  conversation  everywhere.  I 
hear  of  them  as  I  walk  in  the  streets.  But  all 
will  soon  be  over." 

"Poor  Ann  Miller  is  feeling  miserable  over  the 
affair." 

"I  shall  see  her  after  I  have  reported  to  Mother 
Therese.  My  lily  is  dying,"  and  Sister  Louise 
pressed  her  hands  to  her  heart. 

"  'Man  is  like  vanity ;  his  days  are  as  a  shadow 
that  passeth  away,'  "  said  Sister  Benedicta.  "I 
cannot  imagine  what  came  over  the  girl  though  at 
the  last  moment." 

"She  was  always  changeable,  and  devoted  her 
mind  too  closely  to  religion.  I  would  I  had  the 
time  over  again.  I  shall  pray  for  strength,  which 
almost  deserts  me  at  times.  'The  Lord  is  nigh 
unto  all  that  call  upon  Him — all  that  call  upon 
Him  in  truth.'  " 

"Now  you  speak  like  my  own,  dear  Sister  Lou 
ise.  Is  not  our  physician  there?" 

"Yes.  There  was  to  be  a  consultation  of  doc 
tors  yet  to-day.  Mrs.  Rheinberg  has  had  hard 
work  to  persuade  Dr.  Harriot;  finally  he  con 
sented  to  permit  it,  but  here  medical  skill  is  of 
no  avail,"  said  Sister  Louise  mournfully. 

"Doctor,  what  is  is,  how  is  it?"  asked  Mr. 
Rheinberg  as  the  physician  came  from  the  room 
of  his  niece,  on  the  fourth  day  of  her  illness. 

"Must  I  tell  you  in  words?  Does  not  my  face 
show  you  there  is  no  hope?" 

"Save  her,  save  her!" 


THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT  517 

"Here,  Rheinberg,  have  I  not  done  my  duty? 
Have  I  imbibed  one  drop  of  liquor  since  your 
niece  has  been  ill,  and  does  that  not  show  my 
sympathy  and  regard?" 

"It  does,  Doctor,  it  does." 

"Well,  then,"  continued  the  doctor,  grasping 
Rheinberg's  hand  and  squeezing  it,  "I  want  some 
brandy  and  that  is  another  indication  of  my  sen 
timents,  as  the  abandonment  of  hope  renders  me 
weak,  and  stimulants  are  a  necessity  to  me." 

"You  shall  have  all  you  want.  But  tell  me,  has 
everything  been  done  for  her?" 

"Was  there  not  a  consultation  of  physicians?" 
demanded  the  physician  coldly. 

"Yes,  but  the  nursing,"  said  the  agonized  un 
cle. 

"Your  own  wife  is  nurse,  and  a  most  assiduous 
one  she  is." 

"Why  shouldn't  she  be?" 

"That  is  just  what  I  say.  Come,  take  some 
brandy,  it  will  compose  your  nerves,"  added  the 
doctor  good-naturedly.  "You  must  submit  to  the 
inevitable  like  a  man." 

"Letitia  coming  home  a  widow,  in  indigent  cir 
cumstances,  Grace  dying;  how  horrible!  My 
heart  is  heavy,  heavy,"  was  Mrs.  Rheinberg's 
mental  sayings,  and  ever  and  anon  when  the  eyes 
of  her  niece  were  closed,  she  would  raise  her 
handkerchief  to  her  face  and  softly  weep. 

The  paroxysmal  derangement  of  Grace  had 
yielded  to  death's  premonitory  symptoms;  her 
mind  had  become  lucid.  She  was  not  aware 
of  any  death  in  the  family,  as  Mrs.  Rheinberg 
wore  no  mourning,  and  thinking  she  was  the  sole 


518  THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT 

cause  of  her  grief,  faintly  said:  "Weep  not  for 
me,  aunt.  I  am  so  content,  so  happy.  This  poor, 
weary  brain  will  soon  be  at  rest.  I  thank  God 
for  it.  Convent  life  has  reconciled  me  to  believe 
'What  God  doeth,  is  well  done.'  " 

"Grace,"  questioned  her  avmt  passionately, 
"have  you  no  desire  to  live?  No  wish  to  see  any 
one?" 

"None,  dear  aunt,  none." 

Neither  mentioned  Lavalle,  though  at  that  mo 
ment  he  was  uppermost  in  their  minds. 

"I  shall  wait  for  William  on  the  eternal  shore," 
were  the  thoughts  of  Grace.  The  answer  of 
Jesus  to  the  Sadducees  regarding  marriage  came 
floating  through  her  brain,  "In  the  resurrection 
they  neither  marry,  nor  are  given  in  marriage," 
but  she  discarded  it  as  harsh  and  unnatural.  "Ah, 
if  he  should  not  wish  our  union  even  there,"  and 
the  tears  slowly  gushed  from  her  eyes. 

"Tears,  my  girl,  my  niece,  I  must  kiss,  not 
wipe  away,"  said  Mrs.  Rheinberg  encircling 
Grace's  neck  with  her  arms  and  showering  hot, 
burning  kisses  upon  her  face. 


THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT  519 


CHAPTER  XLV. 

April  had  been  ushered  in  with  alternate  gusts 
of  wind  and  rain,  varied  with  gleams  of  sun 
shine.  On  the  fifth  day  the  weather  having 
grown  weary  of  this  diversion  and  capriciousness, 
banished  its  frowns  and  tears.  The  sun,  with 
fatherly  benignity,  poured  forth  his  rays  with  a 
mild,  grateful  heat,  discarding  winter  and  in 
troducing  spring.  That  genial  warmth  which 
causes  nature  to  awaken  from  her  lethargy,  the 
sap  to  quicken  in  its  flow,  the  leaf  to  expand,  the 
bud  to  open,  had  no  such  regenerating  influence 
on  the  frame  of  poor  Grace. 

"Where  are  the  children,  Clara?"  said  Mr. 
Rheinberg. 

"They  are  at  our  neighbor's,  Mrs.  Allen's.  In 
fact,  all  are  so  kind  here  that  the  children  are 
called  for  by  every  one,  poor  things,  they  are 
glad  to  get  away.  Why,  Joseph,  I  do  believe 
you  are  crying !" 

"Clara,  since  the  doctor  pronounced  Grace's 
doom  I  have  lost  courage." 

"That  is  the  reason  you  are  out  of  her  room 
so  much,  I  suppose.  It  is  poor  I,  who  must  see 
her  wasting  before  my  eyes  and  think  of  my 
Letitia,  too." 

"I  expect  our  child  any  time  now.  And  when 
the  train  is  due  I  shall  go  down  to  the  depot  to 
meet  her." 


520  THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT 

"Our  life  has  been  stormy,  has  it  not?"  said 
Mrs.  Rheinberg  laying  her  hand  tenderly  on  hef 
husband's  shoulder. 

"Before  it  was  troublesome,  still  often  pleas 
ant  ;  now  it  is  stormy."  Had  he  read  Voltaire  he 
might  have  exclaimed  with  him,  'No  one  desires 
to  live  his  life  over  again.' 

"I  have  always  had  the  worst  of  it,  haven't  I, 
Joseph  ?" 

"I  don't  think  so.  I  have  always  tried  to  make 
it  as  easy  as  possible  for  you." 

"But  women,  you  know,  bear  the  brunt  of 
everything.  You  see  I  must  go  to  Grace  and  not 
stand  here,"  and  Mrs.  Rheinberg  left  her  husband 
to  make  his  way  to  the  little  sitting-room  where, 
undisturbed,  he  could  indulge  his  sorrow  to  the 
fullest  extent  and  have  no  witness  but  God  of  his 
emotions.  None  are  so  poor,  none  so  rich,  none 
so  lonely,  none  so  exalted,  but  that  their  bitter 
moments  come. 

Mr.  Rheinberg  imagined,  as  many  do,  that  God 
had  laid  a  double  affliction  upon  him  and  forgot 
ten  others  whose  lot  was  a  feast  of  roses.  It 
was  beyond  his  comprehension,  this  unequaled  di 
vision  of  health,  strength,  suffering,  wealth,  rank, 
power  and  genius.  He  knew  nothing  of  the  phi 
losophy  which  Pope's  beautiful  lines  suggest  and 
which  should  reach  all  hearts: 

"All  nature  is  but  art,  unknown  to  thee; 

All  chance,  direction,  which  thou  canst  not  see; 

All  discord,  harmony  not  understood ; 

All  partial  evil,  universal  good; 


THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT  521 

And  spite  of  pride,  in  erring  reason's  spite, 
One  truth  is  clear,  whatever  is,  is  right." 

In  the  depth  of  his  sorrow  he  could  not  find 
comfort  either  in  the  declaration,  "One  genera 
tion  passes  away,  and  another  generation  cometh  ; 
but  the  earth  abideth  forever."  He  forgot  the 
"Lord  is  good  to  all,  and  his  tender  mercies  are 
over  all  his  works." 

His  head  sank  lower  on  his  breast,  and  his  hand 
went  to  his  head,  and  tears,  which  flow  so  easily 
from  woman's  eyes,  but  rend  the  heart  of  man, 
fell  between  his  open  fingers.  In  a  moment  more 
the  door  was  opened,  a  woman  entered,  warm 
hands  entwined  his  neck. 

"Is  it  you,  my  darling?"  said  Mr.  Rheinberg 
as  he  looked  up  in  astonishment  and  beheld  Le- 
titia. 

"It  is  I,"  replied  Mrs.  Arnold,  who  was  death 
ly  pale,  her  mourning  garb  enhancing  her  pallor. 

"Thank  God  that  I  see  you  once  again,"  added 
Mr.  Rheinberg  as  he  took  her  and  pressed  her  to 
his  aching  heart.  "And  you,  my  poor  child,  have 
suffered,  too!"  The  tears  which  he  had  barely 
repressed,  sprang  again  to  his  eyes. 

"Yes,  father,"  she  responded  as  she  bent  her 
beautiful  head,  "my  husband  is  dead  and  buried," 
Mrs.  Arnold  threw  all  the  weight  she  could  into 
those  words,  wishing  to  convey  the  idea  to  her 
father  that  all  her  suffering  concentrated  in  the 
loss  of  Arnold.  Never  more  on  earth  would  a 
word  of  censure  against  her  husband  escape  her 
lips.  Her  parents  should  never  have  knowledge 
of  her  cares,  her  lonely,  dreary,  midnight  vigils, 


522  THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT 

his  wild  riotous  career,  his  unjust  and  harsh  treat 
ment  of  her. 

"The  loss  of  a  husband,  my  darling  girl,  is  in 
deed  a  sad  and  heavy  one.  May  God  comfort 
you.  Your  mother  and  I  will  try  our  best  to 
soften  your  grief." 

"How  are  dear  mother  and  the  children?" 
"She  is  well  now,  but  we  have  had  much  trou 
ble  and  sickness  in  the  family." 

"Poor  mother!  Do  you  ever  hear  of  Grace?" 
Since  Mrs.  Arnold  had  met  Lavalle  she  was  in 
a  nervous  state  about  her  cousin ;  she  feared  she 
knew  not  what. 

"Yes,  but  I  grieve  to  say " 

"Speak,  speak.  Do  not  keep  me  one  moment  in 
suspense,"  said  Mrs.  Arnold,  trembling  with  agi 
tation. 

"Be  quiet,  my  dear,  Grace  is  here  and  has 
turned  back  to  the  faith  of  her  fathers." 

"Gracious  heaven,  what  do  I  hear?"  and  Mrs. 
Arnold  sank  into  a  chair,  overcome  with  emo 
tion. 

"Letitia " 

"Lavalle,"  exclaimed  Mrs.  Arnold  with  uplifted 
hands,  heedless  of  her  father's  pained  face. 
"God  has  looked  down  upon  your  heart-felt  de 
spair." 

"Do  not  speak  of  him.  I  shudder  at  his  name; 
he  is  a  villain."  The  door  opened  as  Mr.  Rhein- 
berg  uttered  the  last  sentence,  and  Lavalle  en 
tered,  pale  and  haggard. 

"I  am  indeed  a  villain,"  cried  he.  "Take  me  to 
see  Grace  once  more,  then  I  shall  bless  the  hand 
that  will  take  my  unworthy  life." 


THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT  '523 

Mrs.  Arnold  jumped  up  from  her  chair,  ex 
claiming  wildly,  "She  lives,  she  is  here,  she  is 
yours."  These  words,  "she  is  yours,"  cost  her 
even  at  that  moment  a  pang  so  violent  that  she, 
considered  it  should  be  sufficient  punishment  for 
her  wickedness. 

Lavalle  on  the  arrival  of  the  train  sent  his  bag 
gage  to  the  hotel  and  was  immediately  driven  to 
Mr.  Rheinberg's  store  and  inquired  for  the  pro 
prietor.  The  friendly  clerk,  who  was  a  new  one, 
informed  him  that  Mr.  Rheinberg  was  at  home 
because  his  niece  was  in  a  dying  condition. 

"What  niece?"  asked  he  abruptly. 

"I  see  you  must  be  a  stranger  here.  The  girl's 
parents  died  some  few  years  ago,  her  lover  aban 
doned  her,  she  went  into  the  convent,  left  last — 

Lavalle  waited  to  hear  no  more,  rushed  into  the 
cab,  gave  the  driver  the  direction  and  shouted, 
"Drive  for  your  life!  You  shall  be  well  paid!" 
Therefore  he  arrived  at  the  house  only  a  few  mo 
ments  later  than  Mrs.  Arnold. 

"That  man  must  be  an  escaped  lunatic,"  con 
cluded  Mr.  Rheinberg's  clerk.  And  he  thanked 
God  for  his  deliverance. 

"Man,  are  you  here?"  said  Rheinberg  excitedly. 

"For  God's  sake,  do  not  delay.  Bring  me  to 
Grace.  Each  moment  is  precious.  Where  is 
she?"  Cold  beads  of  perspiration  stood  on  La- 
valle's  brow. 

"Father,  I  entreat  you,  think  not  wrongly  of 
Mr.  Lavalle.  Come,"  added  Mrs.  Arnold  in  her 


524  THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT 

old,  determined  way,  "I  think  I  can  find  her.  I 
know  where  she  is  most  likely  to  be." 

"Child,  Grace  is  very  sick  and  cannot  bear 
much  excitement.  Be  careful  or  you  may  at  once 
snap  life's  frail  thread." 

"Father,  I  beg  you,  torture  him  no  longer.  He 
has  been  far  more  sinned  against  than  sinning, 
take  the  explanations  afterwards." 

Lavalle  gave  Mrs.  Arnold  a  grateful  look. 

"Stop,  if  you  will  have  it,  Letitia,  that  he  shall 
see  her,  I  must  go  first  and  prepare  her  for  the 
shock.  You  can  both  stand  outside  the  door  and 
when  I  think  the  moment  favorable  I  shall  call 
you."  His  resentment  had  already  passed  away 
before  the  exquisite  agony  of  Lavalle,  who  was 
trembling  like  an  aspen  leaf. 

Mr.  Rheinberg  led  the  way,  treading  cautious 
ly,  followed  by  his  two  companions. 

"If  I  had  not  given  way  to  that  explosion  of 
temper,"  thought  Lavalle,  "how  different  things 
would  have  been.  I  pray  God  that  I  shall  never 
again  be  attacked  with  that  hideous  convulsion." 
But,  like  a  day  that  has  fled,  hasty  words  and 
harsh  actions  cannot  be  recalled. 

When  her  uncle  entered  the  room  Grace  lay 
with  her  eyes  closed,  but  her  hearing  was  very 
acute  and  the  least  sound  disturbed  her.  He  whis 
pered  something  in  his  wife's  ear,  she  turned  pale, 
but  remained  in  the  room. 

"Uncle,  I  have  been  dreaming,"  said  Grace, 
opening  her  eyes.  "I  saw  such  heavenly  visions 
and  heard  such  fine  music.  I  think  I  have  been 
in  heaven,"  and  she  smiled  sweetly.  That  smile 


THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT  525 

stabbed  her  uncle  to  the  heart ;  her  aunt,  as  usual, 
dissolved  into  tears. 

"Why  not  think  of  us  earthly  ones?"  responded 
Mr.  Rheinberg  in  a  melancholy  voice,  broken  with 
sobs.  "Try  and  stay  with  us." 

"I  cannot,  uncle,  I  am  called." 

"Dearest  girl,  is  there  no  one  you  would  like  to 
see?" 

"Yes,  I  must  say  good-bye  to  the  children  and 
Sister  Louise.  I  cannot  die  without  her." 

"Dear  child,  they  shall  all  be  here.  I  wish  Le- 
titia  was  here,  I  know  she  would  like  to  see  you." 

"God  forgive  me  for  being  so  uncharitable  as 
not  to  think  of  her.  The  Jewish  religion  teaches 
forgiveness,  and  surely  so  does  the  Christian,  so 
between  the  two  I  have  been  pretty  well  taught. 
I  have  no  ill-feeling  toward  any  one.  Tell  my 
cousin  when  you  see  her  that  I  asked  God  to 
bless  her." 

"I  think  Letitia  will  be  here  very  soon." 

"Then  I  hope  it  will  be  soon ;  for  I  am  surely 
going;  my  hours  are  numbered.  Uncle,  if  she 
come,  I  shall  kiss  her  with  my  lips  and  my  heart 
will  respond.  Sister  Louise  told  me  to  be  sin 
cere  in  all  things.  I  wish  Letitia  were  here  to 
show  you  that  I  am  reconciled  to  her." 

"Letitia,  darling  girl,  will  gladly  ask  your  par 
don  for  not  being  as  tender  as  she  might  have 
been  when  you  were  with  us,"  said  Mr.  Rhein 
berg,  knowing  of  no  other  wrong. 

It  was  not  until  long  after  the  death  of  Grace 
that  Mrs.  Arnold,  on  her  knees,  avowed  her 
guijt  to  her  parents,  in  attempting  to  alienate  the 
affections  of  Lavalle. 


526  THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT 

"I  do  not  wish  her  to  ask  my  pardon.  I  only 
wish  I  could  see  her." 

"God  is  good,"  and  her  uncle  steadied  his  voice, 
"she  is  here." 

Mr.  Rheinberg  went  to  the  door  and  beckoned 
to  his  daughter.  Letitia  came  in  with  faltering 
steps  and  threw  herself  on  her  knees  before  the 
bed.  In  this  sad  moment  mother  and  daughter 
forgot  each  other. 

"Don't  give  way,"  whispered  her  father,  "ex 
citement  will  quicken  her  death.  See  how  she 
looks." 

"In  this  solemn  meeting,  dear  Letitia,  do  not 
weep;  kiss  me,"  said  Grace. 

Mrs.  Arnold  threw  her  arms  around  her  neck 
and  wept  bitter  tears  for  the  past,  praying  God 
to  give  her  "a  new  heart." 

"You  are  in  trouble,"  and  Grace  put  her  thin, 
white  hands  on  her  cousin's  black  dress. 

"Yes,  Arnold  is  dead.  My  darling,  he  was  my 
husband.  Say,  I  beg  of  you  to  forgive  him,  as 
you  have  forgiven  me." 

"I  have  been  taught,  'forgive  thine  enemies.' 
He  relentlessly  pursued  me,  separated  me  from 
Lavalle — God  bless  him — be  still,"  added  Grace, 
laying  her  hands  on  her  throbbing  heart. 

"I  met  Mr.  Lavalle  on  my  travels." 

A  low  cry  escaped  from  the  lips  of  Grace.  Her 
aunt  rushed  to  the  bed  with  a  cordial  in  her  hand, 
which  she  gave  her  to  drink,  bathed  her  head 
with  eau  de  Cologne  and  applied  some  smelling 
salts  to  her  nostrils. 

Lavalle,  who  could  hear  all  through  the  partly 
opened  door,  could  contain  himself  no  longer. 


THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT  527 

"If  it  is  death  to  her,"  he  cried,  "it  is  death  for 
me  to  wait."  He  rushed  in,  pushed  all  aside  and 
raised  the  half-fainting  girl  in  his  arms.  He  al 
most  smothered  her  with  kisses  and  she,  with 
her  physical  as  well  as  with  her  mental  faculties 
much  exhausted,  gave  herself  up  with  dreamy 
abandon  to  those  caresses,  which  she  had  neither 
the  will  nor  the  power  to  resist.  With  her  mind 
fixed  on  heaven  for  so  many  months,  and  for  the 
last  few  days  of  a  dread  certainty  of  soon  stand 
ing  in  the  presence  of  her  Maker,  her  senses  were 
so  steeped  in  celestial  delights  that  she  almost  im 
agined  it  was  the  foretaste  of  the  bliss  of  para 
dise,  and  that  her  lover  had  come  to  join  her  on 
the  journey.  She  was  so  weak  that  with  rapture 
in  her  soul,  she  sank  from  half  unconsciousness 
into  a  gentle  slumber.  Her  respiration  came 
even  and  soft  and  Lavalle  held  her,  not  daring 
to  stir,  for  fear  of  awakening  her.  Not  a  sound 
was  audible  in  the  room  save  the  ticking  of  the 
clock,  which,  where  the  very  breathing  was  sup 
pressed,  disturbed  the  ear. 

Lavalle's  thoughts  flew  fast.  "Can  it  be  possi 
ble  that  God  will  take  this  lovely  being  from  me? 
This  intoxicating  draught,  which  I  once  so  madly 
dashed  from  me,  and  now  once  more  within  my 
reach,  to  be  snatched  from  me  forever.  No,  God 
will  not  do  this.  He  will  be  merciful.  Grace  is 
not  so  ill ;  she  is  weak,  but  with  my  strong,  warm 
love,  I  shall  nurse  into  vitality  the  little  spark  of 
life  that  remains.  I  shall  pray  fervently,  humbly 
to  the  great  God  to  save  her.  If  her  death  be  de 
creed,  All-powerful,  take  me  as  her  substitute. 
She  must  not  die;  so  young,  so  pure,  so  beautiful. 


528  THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT 

God  will  not  yet  claim  this  model  of  filial  affec 
tion.  I  shall  do  charity ;  I  shall  build  synagogues, 
aye,  churches,  too ;  I  shall  erect  orphan  asylums, 
endow  hospitals,  schools  of  science  and  art,  I 
shall  be  a  benefactor  to  the  world  at  large,  only 
God  save  my  beloved  Grace."  To  save  her  was 
the  Alpha  and  Omega  of  his  prayers. 

After  a  light  sleep  of  fifteen  or  twenty  min 
utes,  Grace  opened  her  eyes  and  Lavalle  gently 
laid  her  on  the  pillow. 

"Is  it  you,  William,  or  am  I  dreaming?"  asked 
she  in  a  thrilling  voice. 

"No,  you  are  not  dreaming,  precious  one.  I 
am  here,  never  more  to  leave  you  while  life 
lasts." 

"Ah !  you  forget  I  cannot  give  you  the  dia 
monds." 

"Never  mind  the  jewels,  dear  one.  Arnold 
confessed  his  villainy  on  his  death-bed.  I  must 
clear  myself  a  little.  Arnold  told  me  falsehoods 
about  you.  I  shall  tell  you  all  when  you  are 
strong.  The  disposal  of  those  jewels  shall  bring 
you  the  purest,  the  most  devoted  love  a  man  can 
give  and  in  after  years  procure  you  a  crown  in 
heaven.  Beloved  one,  only  get  well." 

"God  reward  Arnold  for  confessing  before  dy 
ing  that  I  had  not  wronged  you,  that  my  inten 
tions  were  good,"  and  Grace  labored  for  breath. 

"Waste  not  your  thoughts  or  breath  upon  him. 
Think  only  of  yourself,  of  my  love,  and  live," 
entreated  Lavalle. 

"Alas,  William,  I  cannot  stay  with  you.  I 
would  that  I  could,  but  my  hours  are  numbered." 

"No,  no,  that  must  not  be.    If  you  die  now,  it 


THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT  529 

would  be  not  only  that  you  do  not  forgive  me, 
but  that  God  does  not." 

"You  never  wronged  me,  my  idol!"  Grace  ig 
nored,  or  probably  at  this  moment  forgot,  the 
flirtation  with  Letitia.  "I  have  nothing  to  for 
give  ;  as  for  God,  He  in  His  mercy  and  goodness, 
will  forgive  and  bless  you,  but  He  knoweth  what 
is  for  the  best.  He  decrees  that  I  leave  you." 

"Grace,  do  not  talk  to  me  of  the  goodness  of 
God  and  of  your  leaving  me  in  the  same  breath." 

"Do  not  blaspheme,  William."  Here  a  gentle 
knock  interrupted  the  conversation,  and  Grace, 
whose  every  word  was  exhausting  the  vital  flame, 
closed  her  eyes,  while  Lavalle  buried  his  face  in 
the  pillow. 

Dr.  Montmartre,  after  hearing  at  the  hotel  of 
the  return  and  fatal  illness  of  Grace,  with  a 
heart  torn  by  conflicting  emotions,  inquired  and 
was  shown  the  way  to  Mr.  Rheinberg's  house. 
Laura,  harassed  with  a  thousand  vague  and  un- 
definable  fears,  accompanied  him. 

"I  do  not  know,"  said  the  minister,  "if  we  shall 
be  admitted,  but  I  am  so  solicitious  about  Grace 
that  I  must  make  the  attempt." 

"I  think  they  will,"  answered  Laura. 

"To  think  of  that  gentle  creature,  for  whose 
sake  I  renounced  marriage,  now  dying;  she,  who 
passed  through  such  stormy  trials,  to  have  the 
cup  of  happiness  dashed  from  her  lips  at  the  last 
moment,  and  called  to  pass  through  the  dark  tun 
nel!  Lavalle,  whose  heart  and  soul  yearns  for 
her,  will  have  only  the  exquisite  agony  of  wit- 


'53O  THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT 

nessing  the  life  of  his  darling  ebb  away.  My  an 
guish  is  indescribable. 

"Dear  brother,  you  were  calmer  when  you  had 
to  suffer  on  another  occasion." 

"Listen,  Laura.  It  was  with  pain  in  my  heart 
that  I  knew  Grace  was  to  be  affianced  to  another, 
but  she  lived  and  could  and  would  probably  be 
happy,  enjoying  life's  delights.  It  was  with  fear, 
mixed  with  insane  hopes,  still,  with  composure, 
that  I  heard  of  her  being  immured  within  convent 
walls,  dreading  the  results  on  such  a  tender,  fra 
gile  being.  But  dying,  the  coffin  lid  soon  to  be 
screwed  down  on  that  fair  face,  that  beautiful 
form  to  be  decomposed,  unnerves  me." 

"I  am  astonished  that  you  who  can  endure  all 
manner  of  torture  and  mental  strain,  should  now 
be  crushed  by  this  intelligence." 

"I  could  endure  everything,  but  that  she  is 
within  the  shadow  of  death." 

"But  think,  her  immortal  soul  will  go  to  God 
and  be  clothed  in  eternal  beauty,"  and  thus  talk 
ing,  brother  and  sister  arrived  at  the  house. 

Mr.  Rheinberg  opened  the  door  to  Susan's 
knock.  She  handed  him  the  minister's  card,  say 
ing,  "There  is  a  lady,  too ;  she  did  not  say  any 
thing,  but  the  minister  declares  he  must  see  you." 

"I  know  that  name,"  answered  he,  for  Mrs. 
Arnold  had  written  to  her  father  about  the  kind 
ness  of  the  minister  and  his  sister. 

"I  will  go  and  see  them." 

"I  owe  you  ten  thousand  thanks,"  said  Mr. 
Rheinberg  to  the  minister,  "for  your  goodness 
towards  Mrs.  Arnold.  I  am  her  father.  I  can 
never  repay  it." 


THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT  531 

"A  minister  should  never  forget  common  duty 
and  humanity.  But  your  niece  is  ill,  very  ill,  I 
hear." 

"She  is  very  low,"  said  Mr.  Rheinberg 
brokenly.  He  had  heard  something  from  his 
sister,  Mrs.  Feld,  before  her  death,  relating  to 
a  proposition  of  marriage  from  a  Christian 
clergyman,  and  now  it  was  brought  distinctly 
back  to  his  remembrance. 

"I  wish  to  see  her.  You  owe  me  thanks,  you 
say;  return  them  by  allowing  me  to  see  her." 

"Excitement,  my  dear  sir,  in  her  condition 
might  kill  her." 

"Sir,  I  entreat  you  not  to  deny  my  prayer.  I 
must  see  her.  Have  pity  on  me."  The  minister 
was  human,  and  what  man  in  such  extremity 
weighs  results? 

And  Mr.  Rheinberg,  who  never  liked  to  give 
pain,  hesitatingly  replied,  "Well,  come,"  and  Dr. 
Montmartre  and  Laura  soon  followed  Lavalle 
and  Letitia  and  went  into  the  sick  room. 

Mrs.  Arnold  raised  her  head,  but  said  noth 
ing,  while  Mrs.  Rheinberg  frowned  and  mut 
tered  between  her  teeth  in  a  threatening  way, 
but  said  no  more. 

The  slight,  rustling  sound  induced  Lavalle  to 
lift  his  head,  which  disturbed  Grace  and  she 
opened  her  eyes. 

The  minister  was  accustomed  to  death-bed 
scenes,  but  the  sight  of  this  crushed  and  broken 
lily,  and  the  mute  agony  of  Lavalle,  absolutely 
paralyzed  him  for  the  moment.  Grace  gazed 
upon  him  with  her  dull  and  faded  eyes,  but  spoke 
not. 


532  THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT 

"Grace!"  cried  the  minister.  "Divine  Master 
have  pity."  He  held  out  his  hands,  she  attempted 
to  lift  hers,  but  they  fell  powerless  by  her  side. 
He  walked  up  to  the  side  of  Lavalle,  lifted  her 
cold  hand  and  kissed  it  reverently,  oh,  how  rever 
ently. 

Lavalle,  even  in  the  depths  of  his  despair,  was 
touched  by  this  man,  who  had  loved  so  long  with 
out  hope,  but  still  experienced  such  keen  and  bit 
ter  sorrow.  The  outburst  aroused  him  from  his 
voiceless  grief,  and  caused  him  to  break  forth 
with  piercing  lamentations.  "Woe  is  me.  God 
has  deserted  me  and  will  not  hear  me.  Grace,  I 
say,  speak  to  me !  I  cannot  stand  it." 

"William,  I  cannot  speak  much  longer.  My 
sands  of  life  are  nearly  run.  Do  not  grieve  so. 
Up  there,"  and  Grace  raised  her  eyes  to  heaven, 
"there  is  hope.  In  the  life  eternal,  God  will  join 
us.  You  must  try  to  live,  and  your  will  must 
enable  you  to  be  contented." 

"Grace,  all  I  say  is  if  you  die,  I  shall  never  be 
contented ;  I  can  never  try." 

"Lavalle,"  spoke  the  minister,  calmer  now,  "in 
your  extreme  grief,  do  you  not  remember  that 
God  governs  and  regulates  all  things.  He  in  His 
wisdom  'doeth  all  things  well.'  " 

Grace  gave  the  minister  a  grateful  look,  and 
said  in  a  voice  broken  by  deep-drawn  sighs : 
"Dear,  kind  friend,  console  him  when  I  am  gone. 
Oh,  Arthur,"  with  exquisite  tenderness,  "forgive 
the  pain  that  I  have  caused  you.  Say  you  pardon 
me.  I  should  like  to  die  with  an  easy  conscience." 

Unbidden  tears  sprang  to  the  minister's  eyes; 
he  again  kissed  her  hand,  and  replied :  "Angel,  it 


THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT  533 

is  I  who,  by  crossing  your  path,  gave  you  pain; 
it  is  I  who  should  ask  your  forgiveness.  You 
have  been  and  will  be  the  sweetest  and  brightest 
vision  of  my  life.  Your  peace  with  heaven  is 
made.  God  receives  all  the  pure  in  heart  as  you 
are.  Fear  not  to  pass  through  the  dark  valley." 

"I  am  not  afraid,  good  and  noble  man.  I  shall 
soon  be  with  my  parents." 

"You  do  not  care  that  you  are  leaving  me  here 
all  alone.  You  will  not  try  to  stay,"  exclaimed 
Lavalle. 

"William,  I  leave  you  in  the  care  of  my  very 
dear  friend,  Dr.  Montmartre.  Your  sister,  where 
is  she?"  asked  Grace  faintly. 

"Dearest,  best  of  mortals,"  said  Laura,  walking 
up,  bending  and  pressing  her  lips  to  hers.  "Have 
courage  and  confidence  in  God.  Your  pure  mind 
must  feel  as  David  sang,  'Yea,  though  I  walk 
through  the  valley  of  the  shadow  of  death,  I  will 
fear  no  evil;  for  thou  art  with  me;  thy  rod  and 
staff  they  comfort  me.'  " 

"The  same  dear,  kind  Laura.  I  wish  Sister 
Louise  were  here." 

"Here  am  I,  blessed  sister,"  answered  Sister 
Louise.  She  had  glided  in  unperceived  and  was 
by  the  bed  at  her  call. 

Lavalle  looked  with  astonishment  on  this  meek, 
beautiful  and  sorrowful  face.  The  minister  and 
his  sister  made  room  for  her,  but  he  would  not 
relinquish  his  post. 

"Dearest  and  best  of  women,"  returned  Grace, 
"whom  I  expect  to  meet  in  heaven.  The  shadows 
of  death  are  creeping  around  me  and  I  shall  soon 


534  THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT 

be  in  the  presence  of  my  Maker.  May  He  receive 
my  soul." 

Here  audible  sobs  rang  through  the  room ;  La- 
valle  again  buried  his  head  and  held  her  hand 
with  convulsive  grasp;  Sister  Louise  took  the 
other.  Grace  sank  back  exhausted,  but  with  an 
ineffable  smile,  the  light  of  heaven  playing  over 
her  features.  Sister  Louise  crossed  herself,  im 
printed  a  kiss  on  the  cold  brow  of  Grace  and 
withdrew  to  the  foot  of  the  bed,  where  she  said 
in  a  low  voice  the  prayer  for  the  dying. 

Dr.  Harriot  now  came  in,  examined  her  pulse, 
found  dissolution  rapidly  approaching,  and  in 
stantly  communicated  it  to  Mr.  Rheinberg.  The 
children  were  summoned  as  quickly  as  possible. 
They  came  up  to  the  bed  sobbing  as  if  their 
hearts  would  break,  trembling  and  shuddering  at 
the  cold  breath  of  death,  and  after  each  had 
kissed  her  were  quickly  dismissed  from  the  room. 

Mr.  Rheinberg  kissed  her  with  all  the  sorrow 
of  an  agonized  heart;  a  slight  movement  indi 
cated  that  she  felt  the  warm  caress. 

"Grace,  Grace,"  cried  Lavalle,  "speak,  speak  a 
word,  you  must,  to — me — one  word." 

"William,"  answered  she  with  great  effort,  "I 
must  go.  Do  not  grieve  so.  Be  reasonable.  I 
am  going.  Good-bye." 

Mrs.  Arnold  now  passionately  caressed  Grace — • 
her  heart  was  stirred — but  there  was  no  response. 

"Who  will  save  her?"  cried  Mrs.  Rheinberg, 
throwing  herself  on  the  floor  like  a  child,  in  her 
uncontrollable  grief  and  poignant  remorse. 

"Come,  Mrs.  Rheinberg,"  said  the  physician, 
"this  will  not  do.  Come,  you  annoy  your  niece," 


THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT  535 

v  •    ' 

and  partly  by  the  fear  of  being  compelled  to  leave 
the  room  and  in  some  measure  by  persuasion,  she 
grew  more  composed. 

"Grace,  open  your  eyes.  Grace,  speak  to  me," 
reiterated  Lavalle. 

Grace  opened  her  eyes,  one  momentary  gleam 
shot  through  them,  one  feeble  pressure  of  the 
hands  that  Lavalle  so  firmly,  wildly  clasped  in  his 
own,  and  she  lay  with  unclosed  eyes,  but  all 
things  fading  from  her  sight. 

"Grace,  I  implore  you  to  speak  to  me.  You 
must,  just  once  more.  Do  speak.  I  shall  go  mad 
if  you  do  not,"  said  Lavalle  in  the  most  pathetic 
accents,  but  no  reply  came.  Her  spirit  was  leav 
ing  its  earthly  tenement  and  could  no  longer  give 
response  to  mortal  cries. 

"Lavalle,"  said  the  minister,  "you  forget  to 
think  of  God.  'The  Lord  chastiseth  those  whom 
He  loveth.' " 

"God  have  mercy,  God  has  no  mercy,"  alter 
nately  shrieked  and  raved  Lavalle. 

Mrs.  Rheinberg,  supported  by  her  husband,  was 
repeating,  "Hear,  O  Israel,"  the  minister  with 
folded  hands  and  tearful  eyes  repeated  again  and 
again,  "  'He  doeth  all  things  well,'  receive  her 
into  Thy  holy  Presence,"  Sister  Louise  mur 
mured,  "Christ,  Thou  who  didst  die  to  redeem  the 
world,  forgive  her  and  bring  her  into  the  Light 
Eternal,"  Dr.  Harriot  said.  "May  the  Son  of  God 
intercede  for  her,"  Laura  and  Mrs.  Arnold  prayed 
inaudibly ;  each  petitioned  God  in  his  or  her  own 
way,  and  undoubtedly  all  were  acceptably  received 
at  the  throne  of  God. 
.  A  sudden  relaxation  of  the  ringers,  which  La- 


536  THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT 

valle  held  so  closely  in  his  own,  a  slight  tremor 
through  the  frame,  a  rigidity  of  the  muscles  and 
all  was  over  with  Grace  Feld.  The  parting  was 
made ;  her  gentle  spirit  had  bidden  all  an  everlast 
ing  farewell. 

Lavalle,  with  love's  fine  perception,  was  first 
conscious  of  it;  he  looked  and  beheld  only  the 
mortal  remains  of  her  whom  he  once  fondly 
dreamed  to  call  his  own.  He  threw  himself  over 
her  with  a  wailing  cry,  the  blackness  of  utter  de 
spair  in  his  heart. 

It  was  a  harmonious,  though  sad,  solemn  and 
impressive  scene.  Such  a  closing  tableau  is  sel 
dom  witnessed.  Here  were  represented  various 
denominations,  the  Jew,  the  Catholic  and  the 
Unitarian,  supplicating  God  for  one  Jewish  soul. 
Oh,  Faith,  brotherly  love  and  sympathy,  after 
such  a  concordant  exhibition,  a  millennium  on 
earth  seems  possible.  Angels  must  have  smiled 
over  this  chorus  of  religious  sentiments,  which 
partook  of  Divine  unison.  Such  fruits  of  the 
reconciliation  of  different  religious  beliefs  will 
be  the  euthanasia  of  atheism.  Truly  out  of  death 
comes  life. 

"Let  me  have  Grace  taken  to  New  York,  where 
my  kindred  are  sleeping,"  pleaded  Lavalle. 

"No,"  answered  Mr.  Rheinberg,  firm  for  once, 
"she  must  rest  by  the  side  of  her  parents  in  St. 
Louis." 

"Well,  you  must  entrust  me  with  that  last  sad 
duty." 

"I  think  it  well,"  said  the  minister  aside,  "that 


THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT  537 

he  should  have  something  to  occupy  his  mind,  and 
I  hope  you  will  allow  him  that  mournful  privi 
lege,"  which  was  granted  him. 

Dressed  in  the  softest  and  fleeciest  of  white 
silk,  trimmed  in  the  finest  and  rarest  of  old  lace, 
covered  with  the  most  fragrant  flowers,  white 
jasmine,  white  hyacinths  and  tuberoses,  with  the 
short,  golden  curls  around  her  face,  in  a  white 
satin-lined  coffin,  ornamented  with  massive  silver, 
lay  Grace. 

Numerous  friends  and  many  persons  whom  cu 
riosity  attracted  came  to  look  upon  the  corpse  ere 
the  metallic  coffin  was  deposited  in  a  wooden  box 
to  be  conveyed  to  St.  Louis — its  final  resting 
place. 

"No  bride,"  said  Mrs.  Gaffry,  who  came  with 
her  babe  in  her  arms  and  an  offering,  a  crown  of 
pure  white  roses,  "can  look  more  lovely  than  she 
does." 

"She  is  now  the  bride  of  heaven,"  said  a  lady 
by  her  side. 

"Here  comes  Sister  Louise  with  some  of  the 
boarders,"  continued  Mrs.  Gaffry,  without  re 
turning  an  answer  to  the  woman,  "loaded  with 
flowers." 

Some  of  the  pupils  of  the  convent  school  had 
begged  Mother  Therese  to  allow  them  "to  see 
dear  Sister  Catharine"  before  that  angelic  face 
was  hidden  forever,  and  none  had  pleaded  more 
earnestly  than  Ann  Miller,  now  grown  to  be  the 
favorite  of  nuns  and  scholars. 

"I  robbed  the  conservatory  of  the  choicest  blos 
soms  to  put  on  your  coffin,"  cried  Ann  Miller. 
"Had  you,"  and  she  looked  down  at  the  corpse, 


'538  THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT 

"but  remained  true  to  us  you  would  have  been  an 
angel  and  a  saint." 

"That  poor  girl,"  sobbed  Mrs.  Berkhoff. 

"Well,  death  comes  to  every  one.  It  makes  me 
think  of  your  poor  father,"  and  Mrs.  Silverbaum 
put  her  handkerchief  to  her  eyes  and  wept  copi 
ously. 

"How  sweet  she  looks,"  observed  Mrs.  Ben 
nett  to  a  lady  friend.  "In  after  years  her  face 
will  haunt  me,  and  it  will  be, 

"  'She  did  not  seem  as  dead, 

But  fast  asleep,  and  lay  as  tho'  she  smiled.' 

Mr.  Everard,  my  brother-in-law,  will  be  aston 
ished  when  he  comes  home." 

"Who  is  that  man  who  grieves  so?" 

"That  must  be  her  lover,"  returned  Mrs.  Ben 
nett  in  a  whisper;  "he  appears  to  be  completely 
broken  down.  That  other  one,  with  noble  mien 
and  sad  look,  must  be  a  clergyman." 

"I  think  so  too.  Were  you  acquainted  with  the 
girl?" 

"Merely  to  bow  to.  But  her  misfortunes  ap 
pealed  to  me  so  that  I  was  induced  to  come  here, 
not  out  of  idle  curiosity,  but  out  of  genuine  sym 
pathy." 

"You  are  always  true  to  yourself,  Mrs.  Ben 
nett." 

As  the  lid  was  screwed  down,  the  mingled 
sobs  of  the  people  of  various  denominations  went 
forth  as  one,  the  Unitarian  minister  remarked : 
"As  in  life,  the  air  we  breathe  consists  of  a  union 
of  oxygen  and  nitrogen,  as  after  death  our  re- 


THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT  539 

mains  unite  with  the  earth  to  enrich  it,  so  shall 
we  all  be  spiritually  united  before  the  throne  of 
God.  There  will  be  no  distinction ;  only  the  good 
and  pure  in  heart  of  all  sects  will  be  selected  to 
enjoy  that  holy  and  unalloyed  happiness." 

When  all  had  gone  but  Sister  Louise  and  her 
pupils,  she  kissed  the  coffin  once  more,  silently 
prayed  for  the  dead  and  made  the  sign  of  the 
cross.  The  tears  streamed  down  her  cheeks. 

"Good  woman,"  spoke  Lavalle,  brokenly, 
"though  through  your  influence  Grace  gave  up 
her  religion  and  went  into  the  convent,  you  saved 
her  from  a  villain.  She  loved  you  and  you  loved 
her.  May  God  reward  you." 

"Yes,  holy  woman,"  added  the  minister,  "thy 
charity  and  thy  goodness  are  written  on  thy  face. 
May  God  continue  to  bless  thee  'with  the  peace 
that  passeth  all  understanding.' ): 

Sister  Louise,  not  accustomed  to  such  words  of 
commendation  from  strangers,  and  not  much 
given  to  conversation  with  men,  merely  bowed 
her  head  and  said,  "For  Christ  our  Lord's  sake," 
and  silently  glided  away  with  her  young  charges, 
who  accompanied  her  at  the  signal  of  her  up 
lifted  hand. 


540  THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT 


CHAPTER  XL VI. 

Lavalle,  the  minister  and  Laura  departed  on 
the  same  day  for  St.  Louis,  carrying  with  them 
the  remains  of  dear  Grace,  to  lay  them  by  the 
side  of  her  sleeping  parents.  Lavalle  imme 
diately  gave  orders  for  a  magnificent  vault  to  be 
built.  Before  it  was  completed  he  conceived  the 
poetic  idea  that  if  he  allowed  the  body  to  remain 
where  it  was,  when  it  crumbled  into  dust  it  would 
nourish  the  flowers  which  he  would  plant,  and 
in  enjoying  the  fragrance  he  would  be  mingling 
his  breath  with  hers!  Therefore  the  vault  was 
left  unfinished ;  Grace  reposed  in  quiet,  and  there 
arose  a  monument  of  elegant  and  artistic  beauty, 
rivaling  even  the  tomb  Taj -Mahal,  in  Secundra, 
built  by  the  Shah  Jehan  for  his  beloved  Sultana, 
Banoo  Begum. 

"How  inconsiderate  people  are,"  remarked  La 
valle  to  Dr.  Montmartre ;  "to  laugh  and  enjoy 
themselves  when  so  many  mourn." 

"Were  you  in  their  position  and  they  in  yours, 
you  would  act  the  same.  When  it  is  night  for 
some,  it  is  day  for  others.  Every  one  has  light 
and  darkness." 

"I  hate  society,  in  fact,  all  people ;  their  uncon 
cern  shocks  me.  Nature,  too,  robing  herself  in 
summer  garments  of  brilliant  hues,  mocks  my 
woes." 


THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT  541 

"What  would  you  have?  The  flowers  not  to 
bloom,  the  trees  not  to  bear  fruit,  the  sun  not  to 
shine,  and  everything  below  and  above  to  mourn 
with  you?" 

"Yes,  let  all  be  wrapped  in  night  as  I  am." 

"Ah,  my  dear  friend,  nature  smiles  at  our  sor 
rows,  knowing  that  death  is  but  the  transition 
unto  life  everlasting,  and  that  'the  death  of  one 
thing  is  but  the  life  of  another.'  From  her  tears 
spring  plenty  and  gladness." 

"In  vain  would  you  comfort  me." 

"The  words  of  Grace  were,  'Console  him  when 
I  am  gone.'  She  left  me  that  charge  as  a  legacy, 
and  it  is  one  of  great  price.  Dear  friend,  I  have 
been  away  from  my  flock  six  weeks,  and  my  heart 
is  full  of  yearning  to  be  at  work  among  them. 
By  ameliorating  the  troubles  and  griefs  of  others, 
I  moderate  my  own.  Come  and  assist  me." 

"I  cannot  help  you  now,  but  take  me  along,  do 
with  me  what  you  will." 

"Your  heart  will  yet  be  softened,"  responded 
the  minister,  warmly  grasping  Lavalle  by  the 
hand,  "and  you  will  bow  your  head  in  submission 
to  the  Divine  will.  We  will  start  without  delay," 
and  he  told  Laura  that  Lavalle  had  consented  to 
go  with  them. 

"It  will  be  much  better  for  him ;  these  continual 
visits  to  the  cemetery  are  too  much.  His  grief 
will  never  be  assuaged  here." 

After  some  weeks  at  the  parsonage,  the  min 
ister  said  to  Lavalle:  "You  must  throw  off  this 
lethargy  and  continual  meditation.  It  is  deadly, 
nay,  a  thousand  times  worse  than  death.  Make 
haste,  uncoil  this  cobra  before  it  is  too  late." 


542  THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT 

"It  is  insanity  to  which  you  refer,"  replied  he, 
gloomily.  "If  it  would  make  of  my  mind  a  tab 
ula  rosa,  I  should  welcome  it  with  open  arms." 

"Think,  William  Lavalle,  of  the  many  simi 
larly  afflicted,"  answered  the  minister  solemnly. 

"That  does  not  make  my  trouble  easier  to  bear. 
I  prayed  so  for  her  life.  I  would  have  done  so 
much  charity  had  she  not  died.  And  were  there 
not  others  whom  the  world  could  spare?  Some 
would  not  even  be  mourned,  some  whose  death 
would  relieve  relatives  or  the  public,  to  whom 
they  are  a  burden.  The  lunatics,  the  imbeciles, 
the  infirm,  the  maimed,  the  thieves,  the  forgers, 
the  murderers,  God  could  have  taken  them  all 
and  made  a  holocaust  of  them,  and  left  my  pure, 
innocent,  gentle  girl  who  knew  no  wrong.  She 
was  taken  in  the  spring  of  her  life.  She  is  in 
dispensable  to  me.  I  cannot  live  without  her. 
How  could  God  be  so  cruel?  Why  did  he  not 
listen  to  my  prayers  ?" 

"Vain,  presumptuous  man!  who  art  thou,  who 
darest  to  combat  in  argument  with  the  Creator? 
Is  it  for  thee  to  know  the  purposes  of  the  Lord, 
and  dost  think  thou  art  debating  and  reasoning 
with  man,  that  thou  canst  induce  Him  to  see  with 
thine  eyes;  that  prayers,  entreaties  or  promises 
will  appease  His  wrath  or  occasion  Him  to  alter 
His  will?  No;  when  the  fiat  of  the  great  Arcni- 
tect  goes  forth,  prayers  are  not  so  efficacious  in 
reversing  or  modifying  it.  The  laws  of  nature 
and  nature's  God  are  immutable  and  inexorable ; 
in  our  impotency  and  despair  we  cannot  avoid 
appealing  to  Him  to  revoke  His  commands,  but 


THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT  543 

none  is  repealed.  Prayers  should  be  for  guidance 
and  strength,  and  resignation  to  the  Divine  will." 

"But  I  suffer,"  rejoined  Lavalle  at  the  clergy 
man's  vehemence. 

"To  be  sure  you  do,  but  he  who  can  say  'He 
doeth  all  things  well,'  and  quell  the  murmurings 
of  his  rebellious  heart,  that  person  is  a  believer  in 
God,  in  His  wisdom,  goodness  and  justice.  If 
the  Creator  were  to  listen  to  individual  prayers, 
it  would  be  absolutely  incompatible  with  order ; 
the  world  would  be  in  a  state  of  anarchy  and 
chaos.  The  person  with  weak  vision  would  not 
want  much  light,  the  one  with  strong  eyes  would 
desire  a  great  deal ;  the  man  who  had  harvested 
his  crops  would  want  rain,  the  one  who  had  not 
vice  versa,  and  God,  metaphorically  speaking, 
would  have  His  hands  filled  with  briefs  like  a 
Judge  to  inquire  which  cases  were  right  and 
which  were  wrong.  From  the  tribunal  of  God 
there  is  no  appeal ;  it  is  supreme.  Therefore,  my 
friend,  let  us  pray  that  our  hearts  be  filled  with 
the  grace  of  submission,  and  let  us  humble  and 
resign  ourselves  with  the  entire  strength  of  our 
intellects  to  His  holy  and  unchangeable  will.  Are 
you  doing  as  Grace  would  have  you  do  ?  Go,  do 
good,  divert  your  thoughts  by  assuaging  the 
grief  of  the  poor  and  lonely.  Such  actions  will 
repay  and  render  you  worthy  to  be  the  compan 
ion  of  Grace  in  after  years.  Do  not  delay,  begin 
the  work  at  once." 

"I  shall,  my  friend.  The  spirit  of  my  beloved 
Grace  gives  me  courage.  I  shall  do  as  you  bid 
me ;  only  give  me  time." 

"I  should  be  your  enemy  if  I  were  to  give  you 


544  THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT 

one  day  more  to  nurse  your  morbid  grief.  No, 
not  one  hour,  can  I  let  you  have.  Take  immedi 
ate  interest  in  what  is  passing  around  you. 

"I  shall  try  for  your  sake.  Where  can  I  find 
a  better  example  than  in  you?  I  may  falter  but 
you  must  stretch  out  your  hand  to  keep  me  from 
falling." 

"My  support  shall  not  be  lacking,  but,  clear 
friend,  I  do  not  think  you  will  require  assistance 
long.  I  have  faith  in  your  strength  and  will." 

And  Lavalle  at  once  applied  himself  to  phil 
anthropic  work  with  the  morbid  intensity  of  the 
Buddhist  saint;  rendering  personal  service,  go 
ing  among  the  lowliest,  giving  most  generously 
anywhere  and  everywhere,  and  neglecting  him 
self.  After  some  months  Lavalle  said  to  the  min 
ister,  "Do  you  know,  that  for  the  sake  of  dear 
Grace,  I  wish  to  consecrate  myself  to  God,  good 
works  and  mankind." 
,  "A  very  laudable  desire." 

"And  I  shall  commence,  with  your  permission, 
to  study  theology  with  my  tutelar  saint,  the  Rev. 
Dr.  Montmartre." 

"Ah !  Lavalle,  you  know  how  welcome  you  are 
to  all  I  know  and  all  I  have." 

"I,  who  owe  you  so  much,  appreciate  your  mind 
and  your  heart." 

Lavalle  remained  with  the  minister  until  he  be 
came  thoroughly  familiar  with  the  Unitarian  doc 
trine.  Subsequently  he  traveled  to  Europe  and 
studied  under  the  most  eminent  of  the  liberal 
Jewish  divines,  and  he  was  ordained  to  teach  the 
eternal  truths  to  mankind. 


THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT  545 


CHAPTER  XLVII. 

"Why,  Mark,"  said  Mrs.  Everard,  "this  is  the 
anniversary  of  our  wedding." 

"So ;  a  year  ago  we  were  married,  went  travel 
ing,  remained  two  months,  and  have  been  in  this 
dear,  happy  home  ever  since.  We  have  been  su 
premely  happy,  dear  wife." 

"And  you  have  been,"  added  Mrs.  Everard, 
nestling  closer  to  him,  "one  of  the  most  loving  of 
husbands,  the  most  devoted  of  sons-in-law.  In 
fact,  father  gets  angry  at  Charlie  if  he  calls  you 
a  son-in-law.  'He  is  my  much  beloved  son. 
Mark  is  a  treasure,'  says  father.  What  a  glor 
ious  year  this  has  been !" 

"Dear  Amelia,  I  have  worked  in  accordance 
with  your  program,  have  I  not?" 

"You  have  done  more  than  I  thought  possible." 

"I  have  exceeded  your  expectations,  have  I, 
darling  Amelia?" 

"Yes,  you  have  not  only  gratified  me,  enrap 
tured  my  father,  delighted  Alice  and  Charlie,  but 
amazed  the  whole  town.  Such  is  the  wonderful 
genius  and  cleverness  of  my  Mark,  now  Judge 
Everard.  You  have  accomplished  all  this  in  a 
very  short  time,  while  I  have  literally  done  noth- 
ing." 

"Nothing,  Amelia?  Could  I  have  ever  reached 
the  goal  without  you  and  your  friends'  assistance  ? 


546  THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT 

Was  I  not  ready  to  give  up  in  despair  when  I 
was  so  bitterly  attacked  by  two  newspapers  ?  One 
organ,  I  believe,  was  expressly  founded  to  vitup 
erate  me,  and  I  might  have  succumbed  to  its  in 
fluence  had  it  not  been  for  the  editor  of  one  daily 
paper,  who  was  not  only  the  political  but  the  so 
cial  friend  of  our  dear  father,  and  whose  wisdom 
and  sagacity  secured  my  election." 

"You  underrate  your  intellect.  It  was  your 
own  noble  self  with  your  profound  and  large 
views,  your  liberal  ideas  and  incorruptible  mor 
als  which  gained  this  distinction  for  you." 

"Your  love  would  make  you  see  me  in  a  rara- 
avis.  But  at  all  events  I  have  fulfilled  my  prom 
ises  and  made  you  Mrs.  Judge  Everard." 

"You  mean  you  have  made  me  the  wife  of  a 
Judge — but  I  have  alienated  your  best  friend." 

"Who  is  that?" 

"Mr.  Berkhoff,  Mark.     He  will  not  call." 

"That  is  his  fault,  not  mine  or  yours.  He  is 
always  friendly,  but ' 

"Cannot  forgive  you,"  said  Mrs.  Everard,  as 
her  husband  hesitated  to  proceed. 

"Well,  and  if  so?  Is  it  not  light  and  warm 
as  long  as  you  love  me?  And,  Amelia,  it  would 
be  dark  and  cold  without  that,"  returned  Everard, 
kissing  her  tenderly. 

"You  will  as  long  as  you  live,  then,  be  sur 
rounded  by  a  warm  atmosphere,  for  my  love  will 
never  fail  you." 

"Thanks,  my  darling.  The  Divine  spark  of 
love  is  a  radiance  which  emanates  from  Him  and 
lives  in  the  soul." 

"Mark,  do  you  know  that  ever  since  we  came 


THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT  547 

back  from  our  bridal  tour,  and  I  heard  of  the  re 
cantation  and  death  of  poor  Grace  Feld,  I  have 
been  meditating  about  religion." 

"Aha!  have  you?" 

"I  do  not  believe  any  more  in  the  creed  of  my 
fathers." 

"Amelia,  my  heart  is  quivering  with  suspense; 
quick,  tell  me,  what  do  you  believe?"  and  Ever- 
ard  clasped  his  wife's  hands  and  looked  excitedly 
into  her  face. 

"I  believe,"  returned  Mrs.  Everard,  pale  with 
emotion,  "in  the  one  eternal  God,  creator  of  the 
universe." 

"Do  you  believe  in  the  immortality  of  the 
soul?" 

"Yes,  I  do." 

"So  do  I,  Amelia.  Do  you  believe  in  the  resur 
rection  of  the  body?" 

"No." 

"Neither  do  I,  my  precious  wife,  you  are  no 
Christian,  I  no  Jew,  we  are  simply  Monotheists, 
believers  in  God  and  in  immortality. 

"I  thank  Thee,  my  heavenly  Father,"  exclaimed 
Everard,  with  passionate  tenderness,  "that  my 
much  beloved  wife  and  I  can  bow  before  Thy 
throne  with  one  heart,  one  soul,  one  mind ;  that 
we  are  united  in  everything  that  can  render  mor 
tals  happy.  May  we  ever  appear  before  Thy  holy 
presence  in  love  and  harmony." 

"Amen,"  returned  Mrs.  Everard,  throwing  her 
arms  fondly  around  his  neck. 

"I  thought,  my  darling,  I  was  supremely  happy 
before,  but  now  I  have  no  words  to  express  my 
self;  it  is  beatification.  I  am  so  happy  that  I  am 


548  THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT 

going  to  call  on  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Berkhoff.  I  can 
afford  to  humble  myself  a  little.  I  must  not  for 
get  his  disinterested  friendship  and  his  kindness 
to  me  when  I  first  arrived  here.  I  have  often  told 
you  about  it.  And  he  is  one  of  the  most  honest 
of  men.  He  values  his  reputation  as  highly  as 
Cassio  did  his,  and  considers  it  'the  immortal  part 
of  himself/  though  he  does  not  give  expression  of 
his  feelings  in  those  words.  Mrs.  Berkhoff, 
though  none  too  refined,  possesses  a  good  heart 
and  is  a  very  sensible  person." 

"Go  to  see  them  by  all  means.     Never  forget 
old  friends.     Maybe  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Berkhoff  can 
be  induced  to  see  me  in  a  different  light  now." 
"Are  you  talking  about  me,"  asked  Mrs.  Ben 
nett,  coming  in  with  a  glow  on  her  cheeks. 
"No,  my  dear  sister-in-law." 
"You  must  have  the    law    in,    my    venerable 
judge,"  said  Mrs.  Bennett,  laughing. 

"And  you,  my  dear  sister,  always  cheerful  and 
happy." 

"How  can  I  be  otherwise,  Mark,  with  such  a 
darling  hubby  as  I  have,  such  a  father,  such  a  sis 
ter,  and  such  a  distinguished  brother.  Indeed, 
what  should  I  be  but  happy?" 

"With  your  disposition,"  added  her  sister,  "you 
will  never  grow  old." 

"Well,  I  have  a  perfect  horror  of  old  age.  Im 
agine  Charlie  and  I  coming  to  see  you  limping, 
half  blind,  toothless  and  shriveled  !" 

"Why,  Alice,  what  a  picture  you  sketch !  Father 
is  no  longer  young.  I  am  sure  before  he  was 
paralyzed  his  form  was  erect,  now  he  is  a  little 


THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT  549 

bent,  but  with  his  soft,  silvery  hair,  mild  eyes  and 
ruddy  complexion,  he  is  still  a  pleasing  person." 

"Father,"  cried  Mrs.  Bennett,  "is  not  what  I 
call  real  old,  and  then  there  are  two  kinds  of  old 
age — one  such  as  I  have  described  and  the  other 
noble,  grand,  sweet  and  loving,  clothed  in  the 
soft  sparkle  of  a  good  life.  But  Charlie  and  I 
are  not  of  the  dignified  sort.  Pshaw  !  You  never 
asked  why  I  came  to-day.  How  forgetful  you 
are." 

"To  see  if  we  are  alive  or  not,  I  suppose,"  an 
swered  Mr.  Everard. 

"Nothing  of  the  kind;  I  heard  it  whispered 
among  the  birds  that  Judge  Everard  and  his  wife 
were  to  be  surprised  by  their  friends  this  evening, 
their  marriage  anniversary.  How  much  for  my 
secret  ?" 

"A  kiss,"  answered  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Everard. 

"I  demand  instant  payment,  then,"  replied  Mrs. 
Bennett  smiling. 

"You  shall  have  it,"  and  her  brother-in-law 
kissed  her  without  delay. 

"You  shall  have  a  dozen,  my  dear  Alice,  on  this 
blessed  day.  Here  and  here  go  the  kisses,"  said 
her  sister,  imprinting  them  over  her  face. 

"What  would  Charlie  say,  I  wonder !"  and  Mrs. 
Bennett  shook  her  head  and  contracted  her  brow, 
as  if  she  were  apprehensive  of  consequences. 

"I  know  a  bird  who  told  you  about  this  even 
ing's  surprise,"  said  Mrs.  Everard,  "and  the  bird's 
name  is  Charlie  Bennett." 

"You  are  right  there,  Amelia.  Well,  it  was  so 
droll  that  some  one  should  tell  Charlie,  and,  of 
course,  he  came  directly  home  and  told  me." 


55°  THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT 

"Amelia,  to-day  we  are  remembered  by  God 
and  man,"  said  Everard. 

A  few  evenings  after  the  brilliant  surprise 
party  given  to  Judge  Everard  and  his  wife,  the 
former  called  at  BerkhofFs  house. 

"Well,  Everard,  is  it  you?"  said  Mr.  Berkhoff. 

"Have  you  concluded  to  come  and  see  us  once 
again?"  added  Mrs.  Berkhoff,  giving  him  her 
hand  to  shake. 

"Oh,  heavens,  it's  the  Judge!"  said  Mrs.  Sil- 
verbaum. 

"You  are  a  big  man  now,  Everard — Judge,  I 
should  say.  1  suppose  you  are  proud,"  and  Berk 
hoff  looked  at  him  reproachfully. 

"No,  old  friends  are  always  the  same." 

"But  changes  take  place,"  added  Mrs.  Berk 
hoff,  "and  then  what  ?" 

"We  do  not  recognize  them,"  answered  Ever 
ard  quietly. 

"Then  you  will  be  glad  to  hear  that  I  have  paid 
off  the  last  cent  of  my  debts  and  that  my  business 
is  in  a  splendid  condition." 

"Glad  ?  I  am  overjoyed  at  your  success.  Your 
honesty  deserves  all  credit." 

"There  is  more  than  that,"  resumed  Mrs.  Berk 
hoff,  blushing.  "His  creditors,  in  appreciation  of 
his  honesty,  have  sent  him  a  magnificent  gold 
watch.  I  have  no  doubt  it  gratified  us  as  much 
as  your  grand  party  did  you  and  your  wife.  My 
husband  is  as  great  in  my  eyes  as  you  are  to 
your  wife,  for  they  said  it  was  a  rare  thing  to 
pay  as  he  has  done,  dollar  for  dollar  and  interest, 
too." 


THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT  551 

"And  they  remarked  I  must  have  a  good  wife 
to  have  enabled  me  to  do  it.  Everard,  I  owe  you 
much." 

'"And  I,"  added  Mrs.  Berkhoff,  "owe  you 
everything." 

"My  good  friends,"  responded  Everard,  much 
touched  by  these  expressions,  "you  exaggerate 
trifles.  Berkhoff,  remember  that  I  am  indebted  to 
you  for  your  kindness  in  times  when  clients  and 
friends  were  rare " 

"I  beg  you  not  to  mention  it." 

"Well,  then  we  shall  remain  silent  on  both 
sides." 

"Rebecca,  bring  out  our  boy." 

"He  is  sleeping.  He  is  a  beautiful  child,  and 
is  just  like  his  father." 

"He  is  a  wonderful  baby,  a  little  king,  with 
such  lovely  features,  exactly  like  my  own  Re 
becca,"  added  Berkhoff,  triumphantly. 

"I  regret  I  was  not  godfather  to  this  fine  crea 
ture." 

"Your  own  fault.  You  are  so  distant  since 
you  are  married ;  besides,  what  would  I  do  by  the 
side  of  your  grand  friends?" 

"Mrs.  Everard,"  said  Mrs.  Berkhoff,  timidly, 
"was  always  a  very  haughty  person;  she  never 
fancied  our  race,  you  know." 

"Oh,  yes  she  did,"  returned  Everard  laughing, 
"she  married  one  of  our  people." 

"She  imagines  you  an  exception,"  answered 
Mrs.  Berkhoff,  somewhat  bitterly. 

"Friends,"  replied  Everard,  "you  do  my  wife 
an  injustice.  You  may  think  my  love  magnifies 
things,  but  I  do  assure  you  a  more  refined,  a  more 


552  THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT 

noble  woman  does  not  live  than  my  Amelia.  A 
better  wife  does  not  breathe  than  she  is,  and 
there  is  not  a  happier  man  living  than  I  am." 

"A  gold  mine !"  ironically  said  Mrs.  Silverbaum 
sotto  voice. 

"I  am  glad  that  you  are  happy.  Rebecca,  we 
must  call  on  Mrs.  Everard  some  time,"  added 
Berkhoff. 

"Certainly,  if  you  say  so,  we  shall  go." 

"You  see  what  a  heart,  Mr.  Everard,  Berkhoff 
has,"  remarked  Mrs.  Silverbaum.  "He  is  so  good 
he  feels  for  everybody.  A  gold  mine !" 

"I  hear,"  said  Berkhoff  cautiously,  "that  your 
wife  does  not  go  to  church  very  often." 

"Let  me  assure  you ;  on  religion  as  in  all  things, 
we  are  agreed." 

"Has  she  or  will  she  turn?"  asked  Berkhoff 
breathlessly. 

"No." 

"Have  you  gone  over  to  her  religion  ?" 

"No,  but  we  worship  one  God,  believe  in  right 
thinking,  right  doing  and  in  the  imperishableness 
of  the  soul ;  nothing  more." 

"Ah,  Everard!"  returned  Berkhoff  sadly,  "it  is 
nearly  as  bad  as  I  feared." 

"Say  no  more.  Nothing  can  dampen  my  happi 
ness.  Amelia  and  I  stand  in  the  full  light  of 
God's  goodness  and  I  hope  we  shall  remain  so 
until  we  enter  the  gates  of  Paradise." 


THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT  553 


CHAPTER  XLVIII. 

After  residing  several  years  abroad  Lavalle  re 
turned  to  the  United  States,  traveling  through  the 
principal  cities  of  the  East,  and  then  visited  his 
old  friend,  Rev.  Dr.  Montmartre,  who  received 
him  with  open  arms. 

"Well,  dear  friend,"  asked  the  minister,  "what 
have  you  been  doing  since  your  arrival  in  this 
country  ?" 

"I  have  been  preaching,  and  when  I  could  not 
get  that  opportunity,  lecturing  on  Reformed  Juda 
ism,  a  religion  which  has  in  it  all  the  essence  of 
old  Judaism,  but  is  shorn  of  all  unnecessary  cere 
monies  and  appendages.  I  wish  to  change  it 
from  its  chrysalis  state  and  render  it  a  pure 
adoration  of  God,  the  supreme  Ruler,  which,  like 
the  north  star,  guides  the  mariner  to  a  harbor  of 
safety  and  rest." 

"I  observe,"  returned  the  clergyman,  "your  ten 
dency  is  to  curtail "  but  here,  woman-like, 

Laura  interrupted  by  asking  Lavalle  if  he  had 
heard  of  Mrs.  Arnold,  and  when  a  negative  was 
the  reply,  she  said : 

"What  I  heard  from  a  lady  recently  arrived 
from  D — ,  her  character  must  have  undergone  a 
complete  metamorphosis.  She  is  kind  and  loving 
to  her  relatives,  and,  though  poor,  is  actively  em 
ployed  in  doing  what  good  she  can.  It  seems  'the 


554  THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT 

way  of  the  transgressor'  has  been  hard  and  she 
has  turned  to  the  easier  and  better  road  of  ver 
acity,  goodness  and  conscientiousness.  Mr. 
Rheinberg  is  still  struggling;  fortune  is  chary 
with  him." 

"I  shall  make  that  family  comfortable.  All  I 
retain  my  wealth  for  is  to  distribute  it  where  it 
will  be  productive  of  the  most  good." 

"I  perceive,"  responded  Laura  warmly,  "that  in 
your  religion  charity  is  no  idle  word,  but  you 
write  it  in  indelible  characters." 

"Please  do  not  praise  me,  Miss  Montmartre.  I 
shall  send  a  check  for  ten  thousand  to  Mr.  Rhein 
berg,  because  he  was  kind  to  my  cherished  Grace. 
I  shall  also  send  a  similar  sum  to  him  to  be  given 
to  any  worthy  person  for  whom  my  beloved  Grace 
entertained  an  affection,  and  your  poor,  my 
beneficent,  loving  friends,  shall  not  be  forgot 
ten." 

"Excellent  man !"  said  Laura,  with  tears  in  her 
eyes,  "that  cardinal  virtue,  charity,  is  well  ex 
emplified  in  you." 

"My  dear  brother " 

"Say  no  more,"  interrupted  Lavalle.  "To  be 
worthy  to  be  called  your  brother  is  sufficient  re 
ward." 

The  minister  humbly  bowed  his  acknowledg 
ments  and  shook  Lavalle's  hand  with  deep  emo 
tion.  His  heart  was  overflowing,  but  no  words 
issued  from  his  lips. 

When  Mr.  Rheinberg  received  the  check  from 
Mr.  Lavalle  for  some  deserving  person,  he  wisely 
concluded  to  give  it  to  Mrs.  Gaffry,  who  had 
been  an  intimate  friend  of  Grace,  and  whose 


THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT  555 

husband  had  lately  died  and  left  her  with  two 
children  in  indigent  circumstances. 

This  action  of  the  Jewish  (called  Monothe 
istic)  minister  received  much  commendation,  but 
popular  esteem  was  augmented  tenfold,  and  it 
was  the  theme  for  newspaper  comment,  when  it 
became  known  that  out  of  gratitude  to  Sister 
Louise,  for  her  gentleness  and  love  to  Grace,  the 
convent  was  endowed  with  an  annuity  of  ten 
thousand  dollars  as  long  as  she  should  live. 
Upon  this  pleasing  intelligence  the  good  nun 
bowed  her  meek  head,  shed  a  tear  for  her  dead 
friend,  prayed  daily  for  her  and  Lavalle,  and 
thanked  God  for  his  goodness. 

Lavalle  received  a  call  from  an  extremely  lib 
eral  congregation  in  St.  Louis,  and  as  he  left  the 
minister  said :  "I  accept  it  with  gratitude  to  God, 
from  whom  all  blessings  flow,  for  in  that  city, 
in  endless  slumber  reposes  my  adored  one.  I 
shall  labor  in  the  Lord's  vineyard  until  he  sum 
mon  me  into  His  presence;  then,  like  a  wearied 
child,  I  hope  to  sleep  on  the  breast  of  mother 
earth  by  the  side  of  my  darling  and  much  be 
loved  Grace." 

When  Lavalle's  parishioners  heard  of  the  sad 
events  of  his  life  they  sympathized  in  his  mel 
ancholy,  esteemed  and  loved  his  good,  noble 
character  and  his  pure  and  broad  religion.  Every 
afternoon  when  time  permitted — for  his  duties 
were  paramount  to  his  feelings — he  could  be 
found  prostrated  over  the  grave  of  Grace,  breath 
ing  the  perfume  of  the  flowers  and  crying,  "Oh, 
God,  how  long  till  my  dust  be  mingled  with 
hers." 


556  THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT 

Among  the  sweets  he  had  to  treasure  was  the 
annual  token  of  remembrance  from  the  minister 
and  Laura,  who  appreciated  him  for  his  personal 
worth  as  well  as  for  his  generosity  to  their  par 
ishioners. 

After  years  of  unceasing  toil,  gaining  wisdom 
and  fame,  Lavalle,  looking  exhausted,  was  im 
plored  by  his  loving  congregation  to  take  some 
relaxation  from  his  labors.  Acting  upon  their 
kind  wishes,  where  should  his  footsteps  wander 
but  to  his  much  esteemed  and  beloved  friend, 
Dr.  Montmartre?  And  there  was  Laura,  still 
by  her  brother's  side,  happy,  serene  and  beauti 
ful,  the  admirable  goodness  of  her  heart  showing 
in  her  face,  her  self-sacrifice  and  charitable 
works  encircling  her  with  a  light  more  brilliant 
than  that  which  scintillates  from  a  crown  of  dia 
monds.  This  walk  with  her  brother  along  life's 
pilgrimage  was  an  exquisitely  touching  offer 
ing. 

The  two  ministers  felt  assured  that  their 
dreary  days  of  waiting  for  the  white-winged 
messenger  would  soon  be  over,  that  they  would 
ere  long  be  summoned  into  the  life  everlasting. 

"My  dear  Lavalle,"  said  Dr.  Montmartre, 
"have  you  found  in  your  progressive  and  icono 
clastic  ideas  more  resistance  than  you  thought?" 

"My  path  is  rough  and  unhewn  and  not  always 
strewn  with  rose  leaves.  I  am  often  not  only 
called  deistic,  but  atheistic.  Some  of  my  co-re 
ligionists,  who  have  been  most  lax  in  religious 
observances,  raise  their  voices  the  loudest  and 
call  me,  in  derision,  'The  New  Messiah!'  But  I 


THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT  557 

never  wander  from  God,  Right  thinking,  Human 
ity  and  Immortality." 

"Your  courage  must  not  fail  you.  Do  you 
know,  in  studying  the  theology  of  Buddha,  I 
have  often  suspected  that  our  great  Christian  re 
ligion  has  borrowed  from  it.  Buddhism  levels 
the  barriers  between  castes,  enjoins  the  loving 
of  one's  enemies,  the  conquering  of  passions,  the 
practice  of  virtues,  and  more,  the  toleration  of  all 
other  beliefs.  How  I  wish  that  my  pure  and 
simple  faith  would  eventually  grow  to  a  large 
tree,  like  the  noble  Banian,  each  branch  de 
scending  to  the  ground,  taking  root  and  finally 
shading  and  encircling  the  world." 

"Why,  brother,  what  enthusiast  in  art,  science 
or  religion  has  not  had  such  Utopian  dreams?"  ' 
"Do  not  oaks   from   little  acorns  grow?     As 
Savonarola    would    have    made    'Italy,    nay    the 
world,  one  vast  cloister,'  so  should  I  like  to  con 
solidate  the  world  into  one  great  religion."         , 
"But   this,"    remonstrated    Laura,    "is   a   vast, 
gigantic  idea,  utterly  beyond  the  compass  of  any 
one    mind    and    requiring    ages    for    its    accom-, 
plishment." 

"The  idea  of  a  uniform  belief  in  God,  and  the, 
immortality  of  the  soul  in  conjunction  with  the! 
precepts  of  Moses,  Jesus  and  other  great  teachers) 
so  that  all  may  dwell  together  in  concord,  and 
so  that  no  difference  of  creeds  will  exist  to  inter 
vene  and  destroy  human  happiness,  is  to  me  a 
beautiful  one.     If  my  brother  Lavalle  and  I  can] 
only  plant  the  seed  of  this  conception  of  a  uni 
versal  harmony,  it  will  go  on  as  surely  as  the 


558  THE  IRRESISTIBLE  CURRENT 

propagation  of  sounds,  and  in  future  generations 
it  will  sweep  all  before  it,  as  it  is  the  trend  of  the 
times." 

"It  is,"  said  the  minister,  Lavalle  and  Laura 
simultaneously,  "The  Irresistible  Current." 


Sam  S.  &  Lee  Shubert 

direct  the  following  theatres  and  theatrical 
attractions  in  America : 


Hippodrome,  Lyric,  Casino, 
Daly s,  Lew  Fields,  Herald 
Square  and  Princess  Thea 
tres,  New  York. 

Garrick  Theatre,  Chicago. 
Lyric  Theatre,  Philadelphia. 
Shubert  Theatre,  Brooklyn. 

Belasco  Theatre,  Washing 
ton. 

Belasco  Theatre,  Pittsburg. 
Shubert  Theatre,  Newark. 
Shubert  Theatre,  Utica. 

Grand  Opera  House,  Syra 
cuse. 

Baker  Theatre,  Rochester. 
Opera  Houpe,  Providence. 

Worcester  Theatre,  Worces 
ter. 

Hyperion  Theatre,  New 
Haven. 

Lyceum  Theatre,  Buffalo. 
Colonial  Theatre,  Cleveland. 
Rand's  Opera  House,  Troy. 
Garrick  Theatre,  St.  Louis. 

Sam    S.    Shubert     Theatre, 
i       Norfolk,  Va. 

Shubert  Theatre,  Columbus, 
i  Lyric,  Cincinnati. 


Mary  Anderson  Theatre, 
Louisville. 

New  Theatre,  Richmond, 
Va. 

New  Theatre,  Lexington,  Ky. 

New  Theatre,  Mobile. 

New  Theatre,  Atlanta. 

Shubert  Theatre,  Milwau 
kee. 

Lyric  Theatre,  New  Orleans. 

New  Marlowe  Theatre, 
Chattanooga. 

New  Theatre,  Detroit. 

Grand  Opera  House,  Dav 
enport,  Iowa. 

New  Theatre,  Toronto." 

New  Sothern  Theatre,  Den 
ver. 

Sam  S.  Shubert  Theatre, 
Kansas  City. 

Majestic  Theatre,  Los  An 
geles. 

Belasco  Theatre,  Portland. 
Shubert  Theatre,  Seattle. 

Majestic  Theatre,  San  Fran 
cisco. 

E.  H.  Sothern  &  Julia  Mar 
lowe  in  repertoire. 


Margaret  Anglin  and  Henry 
Miller. 

Virginia  Harned. 

Mary  Mannering  in  "  Glori 
ous  Betsy." 

Mme.  Alia  Nazimova. 

Thos.  W.  Ross  in  "The 
Other  Girl." 

Cecelia  Loftus. 
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Digby  Bell. 

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Counter." 

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Blanche  Bates  in  "  The  Girl 
from  the  Golden  West." 

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Music  Master." 

"  The  Rose  of  the  Rancho,'" 
with  Rose  Starr. 

HARRISON    GRAY    FISKE'S 

ATTRACTIONS. 
Mrs.   Fiske  in   "The    New- 
York  Idea." 


'  Shore  Acres." 

Louis  Mann  in  ' '  The  White 
Hen." 

"The  Road  to  Yesterday." 

Henry  Woodruff  in  "  Brown 
of  Harvard." 

"The  Secret  Orchard,"  by 
Channing  Pollock. 

De  Wolf  Hopper  in    "  Hap 
py  land." 

Eddie  Foy  in  "  The  Orchid." 

Marguerite  Clark,  in  a  new 
opera. 

"The    Social  Whirl,"  with 
Chas.  J.  Ross. 

James  T.   Powers  in  "  The 
Blue  Moon." 

Bertha  Kalich. 
"Leah  Kleschna." 

"The  Man  on  the  Box." 

Cyril  Scott  in  "  The  Prince 
Chap." 

"  Mrs.  Temple's  Telegram." 
"The  Three  of  Us." 


You  cannot  go  wrong  in  selecting  one  of 
these  play-houses  for  an  evening's  entertain 
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SOONER   OE   LATER 


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Evelyn 

A   Story   of   the   West  and   the   Far   East. 
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A  Tale  of  the  Revolution 

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A  NOVEL. 

BY  REV.  M.  V.  BROWN. 
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Century 

BY  MRS.  A.  G.  KINTZEU 

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NAN   &  SUE 

Stenographers 

"Bv  HARRIET  C.  CULLATON^ 
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LOVE  IN  THE  TROPICS 

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Lost  in  the  Mammoth  Cave 

BY  D.   RILEY  GUERNSEY. 
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Under  the  Darkness  of  the 
Night 

'A   Tale  of  West  Indian  Insurrection. 

BY  ELLEN  CHAZAL  CHAPEAU. 
Cloth,    I2mo.     Attractively   Produced. 

Price,  $1.00. 

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Reuben:  His  Book 

BY  MORTON  H.  PEMBERTON. 

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BY  ARCHIE  BELL. 
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Llewellyn 

A  NOVEL 

BY  HADLEY  S.  KIMBERLING. 

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S&tan  of  the  Modern  World 

By  E.  G.  DOYEN. 

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A  Missouriaiv's  Honor 

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A  delightful  collection  of  stories  and  poems. 

'^Author's  photo.) 

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Job  Trotter 

BY  SYLVESTER  FIELD. 
Soc. 

A  unique  work,  proving  that  the  "earthly  paradise" 
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The  Sin  of  Ignorance 

BY  HENRIETTA  SIEGEL. 
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(4  special  drawings.) 


A     000  040  439     2 


